He said he was busy, or words to that effect.
or words to that effect
idiomused to indicate a paraphrase or the chance of an error in the details of reported speech.
She told me the project was cancelled, or words to that effect, so I stopped working on it immediately.
The witness claimed the defendant had threatened him, or words to that effect, leaving the jury to interpret the exact nature of the warning.
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empty words
Any type of talk with little meaning; a message that seems to contain meaningful content but is actually vapid.
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have words
To argue, to have an argument.
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man of few words
A man who doesn't speak much; a habitually terse or taciturn man.
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mark my words
Listen to me; used before or after a statement one wishes to emphasize, especially a prediction.
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mince words
To restrain oneself when speaking by withholding some comments or using euphemisms in order to be polite, tactful, etc.
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mouth the words
To speak insincerely.
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play on words
A pun, or similar humorous use of language such as a double entendre.
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put words in someone's mouth
To say or imply that someone has made a statement or remark which they did not precisely or directly make.