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To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors. Spenser. I will neither plead my age nor sickness, in excuse of faults. Dryden.

Inadequate; insufficient; insignificant; as, a poor excuse. That I have wronged no man will be a poor plea or apology at the last day. Calamy.

To frame; to devise; to disguise or excuse; hence, to pretend; to declare falsely. [Obs.]

insult or injury as may be supposed, under the circumstances, to create hot blood, and to excuse an assault made in retort or redress.

A shift for evasion or delay; an evasion; an excuse. L'Estrange.

An exception; a reservation; an excuse. They admit many salvos, cautions, and reservations. Eilon Basilike.

to the operation of laws which man must always fail to discern the reasons of. I. Taylor. Excuse me if I have given too much scope to the reflections which have arisen in my mind. Burke. An intellectual cultivation of no moderate depth or scope. Hawthorne.

One who excuses or justifies himself. J. M. Mason.

Evasive; as, a shuffling excuse. T. Burnet.

Weak; slight; unsubstantial; poor; as, a slim argument. "That was a slim excuse." Barrow.

Liberty or privilege of tenants excused from customary burdens.

Poor; mean; worthless; as, a sorry excuse. "With sorry grace." Chaucer. Cheeks of sorry grain will serve. Milton. Good fruit will sometimes grow on a sorry tree. Sir W. Scott.

ssign a certain (i. e., limited) task to (a person), upon the performance of which one is excused from further labor for the day or for a certain time; to stent.

That which is to supply what is wanted. Invent suppletories to excuse an evil man. Jer. Taylor.

Not used as a plea; not urged; as, an unpleaded excuse.

no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying. "Thy vain excuse." Shak. Every man walketh in a vain show. Ps. xxxix. 6. Let no man deceive you with vain words. Eph. v. 6. Vain pomp, and glory of this world, I hate ye! Shak. Vain visdom all, and false philosophy. Milton.…

ry mandate or precept; authority; warrant. [R.] Shak. If they disobey precept, that is no excuse to us, nor gives us any warranty . . . to disobey likewise. Kettlewe

To utter or express plaintively, or in a mean, unmanly way; as, to whine out an excuse.