Today's Word "subterfuge"
A deceptive stratagem
on
Published in Vocabulary
subterfuge \SUB-tur-fyooj\ (noun) - A deceptive device or stratagem.
"Subconsciously, yes, and I was aware of the subterfuge involved, but not aware of it in a way that ever allowed me in those days to use the word subterfuge..." -- Paul Scott, 'The Jewel in the Crown'
Subterfuge comes from Late Latin subterfugium, "a secret flight," from Latin subterfugere, "to flee in secret, to evade," from subter, "underneath, underhand, in secret" + fugere, "to flee." It is related to fugitive, one who flees.
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