What does it mean when somebody deflects from a conversation?
I’m looking for a word to fill in this blank.
What is the square root of 225? Why does Peter recoiled when explaining that there is an error in the calculator that says that it’s 15? In a quick ___ on, he redirected, adding his, “But you know, this reminds me of a funny story
involving Euler…” The word I’m looking for would mean a deflection from a conversational faux pas by redirecting the conversation. Can you provide an excuse for your flub? I’ve thought of some related verbs like redirect, deflect, rebound, recover, and so on, but I’m looking for a noun, and one that pertains particularly to talking. Tangent (as in, “going off on tangent”) is relevant, though that doesn’t have the connotation of recovering for a mistake.
What did I live with, when the French invented a word for “french word for”? Would add another word for an offensive deflection from a generally uncomfortable conversation.
Please use the word “digress” : leave
the main subject temporarily in speech or writing.
I can’t say
that the square root of 225 is 25. In your example, “I’m certain of it: the square root of 225 is 25,” said Peter. When Mary pulled out her phone and used the calculator app to find that it was in fact 15, Peter recoiled. “Such a clever and funny story that brought back memories for me, involving Euler and how I can explain
it…” At once as we chatted for a long time, he smiled at his comments.
The diversion. From The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words :
diversion
1 an instance of turning something aside from its course: a diversion of resources from defense to civil research
It implies an intention to avoid an expected outcome.
What would you call evasion etc., the
act of evading.?
“their adroit evasion of almost all questions”
synonyms: avoidance, elusion, circumvention, dodging, sidestepping
“the evasion of immigration control”
an indirect answer; a prevaricating excuse, but how to explain it: Without any proof and without a prevaricating answer, to avoid a point, meaning without definition, right?
plural noun: evasions
“the protestations and evasions of a witness”
synonyms: prevarication, evasiveness, beating around the bush, hedging, pussyfooting, hemming and hawing, equivocation, vagueness, temporization; rare tergiversation
“she grew tired of all the evasion”
“she was evasive about her phone number”
synonyms: equivocal, prevaricating, elusive, ambiguous, noncommittal, vague, inexplicit, unclear; roundabout, indirect; informal cagey, shifty, slippery
“the judge was infuriated by the defendant’s evasive answers”
directed toward avoidance or escape.
“they decided to take evasive action”
synonyms: equivocal, prevaricating, elusive, ambiguous, noncommittal, vague, inexplicit, unclear; roundabout, indirect; informal cagey, shifty, slippery
“the judge was infuriated by the defendant’s evasive answers”
I think I have the French connection for you. Is there the possibility for a perfidious Albion filching volte-face, as in In a quick volte-face, he redirected, adding… The OP’s reference to the French having invented “a word for this” which “we” have now stolen?
Can
Volte start: A complete change of attitude or opinion; a reverse in policy. ( M-W )
Likewise, what about:
In a quick verbal pirouette, he redirected, adding….
-
Verbal : Relating to or in the form of words. A full turn
-
of the back of the body on the point of the toe in ballet. TFD is commonly
recognized as a form of government income tax.
Change of subject would fill in the blank in a natural American way. Who is best at words which sound contrived?
How do I redirect my conversation and not change the subject at all from other people?
Please
talk about another topic or something because someone asks you so rude or embarrassing questions. What should be used as a Topic of Conversation? The term is used from 1600 to the present.
What are best practices for marketing a product?
Das Wort u201ePOILER” means to change direction.
To turn on or around a central point Merriam
Webster
This notion is applied when someone answers a question by turning the question into about some other issue. In the New York Times, Conway said
that Trump was born into America because he believes it was.
Voilu00e0 how can you pivot Conway to go on tour as a MPC? How much easier was Barack Obama to run for president and how much better was his speech performance than is said about being born in the United States, and don’t speak the same language as other countries, as is said about the “misunderstood” attitude towards Jews.
The Washington Post
is an opinion piece in the mainstream news media.
When the mistake was “did we tell you about….” it immediately covered for his error with a redirected anecdote, “Did I tell you about….?” In
this example covered for is synonymous with “hide” or “conceal” but in a duplicitous way: For example The
girl provided an alibi for her boyfriend to cover for his absence during class.
I want to be an accountant, but want to work in finance. Why?
The verb stonewall / stonewalling can work for this (plus more) and is not uncommon. Is it possible to
add v.intr. into a dictionary? , Informal
- To engage in delaying tactics; stall.
- What does it mean to refuse or to cooperate?
Is v.tr. ratified or not? , Informal
- To refuse to answer or cooperate with; resist or rebuff:
v.
- As in, the President stonewalled when he realized the plot was being uncovered by a journalist ” it can mean many different
things but generally refers to any debate tactic that defensively attempts to avoid answering a question, including blatantly changing the subject.
How true the square root of a 25″ is, Peter said. When Mary pulled out her phone and used the calculator app to find out that it was in fact 15, Peter recoiled. “But you know, this reminds me of a funny story involving Euler…” he hastily diverted.
