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eason or motive; pretense; disguise. They suck the blood of those they depend on, under a pretext of service and kindness. L'Estrange. With how much or how little pretext of reason. Dr. H. More.

A pretext. [Obs.]

That which conceals; a disguise or pretext; an excuse; a fair pretense; a mask; a cover. No man is esteemed any ways considerable for policy who wears religion otherwise than as a cloak. South. Cloak bag, a bag in which a cloak or other clothes are carried; a portmanteau. Shak.

tting; as, a decorous speech; decorous behavior; a decorous dress for a judge. A decorous pretext the war. Motley. -- De*co"rous*ly, adv. -- De*co"rous*ness, n.

A freak or whim; also, a falsehood; a lie; an illusory pretext; deception; delusion. [Obs.] A perpetual abuse and flam upon posterity. South.

ution, out of hatred to his brethren, to disable their issues, upon false and incompetent pretexts, the one of attainder, the other of illegitimation. Bacon.

That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.

hang things, as coats, etc. Hence, colloquially and figuratively: A support; a reason; a pretext; as, a peg to hang a claim upon.

Practiced under the pretext of religion; prompted by mistaken piety; as, pious errors; pious frauds.

Obtaining approbation; specifically pleasing; apparently right; specious; as, a plausible pretext; plausible manners; a plausible delusion. "Plausible and popular arguments." Clarendon.

That which is pretended; false, deceptive, or hypocritical show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint. Let not the Trojans, with a feigned pretense Of proffered peace, delude the Latian prince. Dryden.

Wanting a cover, pretext, or palliation; unreasonable; profitless; bootless; useless. [Obs.] Shak. The vexation of a sleeveless errand. Bp. Warburton.

hing that comprehends or includes, that represents or designates, that furnishes a cover, pretext, pretense, or the like; as, he betrayed him under the guise of friendship; Morpheus is represented under the figure of a boy asleep. A crew who, under names of old renown . . . abused Fanatic Egypt. Milton. Mr. Duke may be…