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Subterfuge

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(pronounced sub-tur-fyooj; "oo" pronounced as in "boot" and not as in "book")  noun

Definition

1. deceit used to attain one's objective; an artifice, expedient, or other tactic used to escape, evade, or hide something.  2. a deceptive or misleading stratagem or device; artifice; fakery.

Main Example

• Since it's the season of presidential debates, here is a piece of relevant history that will be news to some of this feature's younger readers: That in the only presidential debate between President Jimmy Carter and his challenger Ronald Reagan, Carter's performance suffered partly because he was the victim of subterfuge! The team of officials preparing Reagan for that crucial evening in October, 1980, had obtained access to the Democrat's debate preparation materials, thus enabling the Republican to "successfully anticipate and parry many of the president's planned lines of attack," to quote famous journalist Howard Kurtz. In a June 24, 1983, news story, the Associated Press confirmed that top Reagan officials had admitted to using materials stolen from the Jimmy Carter campaign.

Workplace Examples

• Did you know that Matt's presentation on that grandiose Amazon project downplays its cost? From what I have heard, his team is employing a subterfuge of sorts to understate the real cost numbers, thus exaggerating the project's profitability to get an assured go-ahead from the board.
• In my judgment, every term and condition listed in this five-page contract is critical. If I were you, I'd sign each page so that the other party cannot alter the contract through subterfuge, such as by substituting a page here and there.

Other Examples

• this author saying in an indignant speech: "The fierce 'no new taxes under any circumstances' stand of Grover Norquist and his close associates is just a subterfuge to conceal their true agenda--gutting the government, period. Sadly, what tens of millions of Americans do not realize is that if there is no government machinery worth the name, one of the many negative outcomes is that businesses wanting to engage in false advertising or in the supply of deleterious products and services can do so completely unfettered and just rake in money from deceived and tricked customers."
• law enforcement officers having to use subterfuge, such as undercover police and sting operations, to ensnare drug smugglers or would-be Times Square-type bombers; operating in a world of subterfuge, sweepstakes companies using elaborate and ingeniously crafted mailings that give recipients the false impression of being a sure winner
• in 2006, California passing a law designed to rein in paparazzi who employ every conceivable subterfuge to get photos of celebrities during their private moments
• acting jointly, the U.S. and Israel successfully sabotaging Iran's ambitious nuclear program by getting the Stuxnet–an extremely sophisticated and destructive computer virus–into that nation's top secret Natanz plant through subterfuge

© 2014 V.J. Singal
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