dodge
n. US //ˈdɑdʒ// UK //dˈɒdʒ// dodge
n. a clever way to avoid something you don't want to do or answer. Sometimes this trick can be a little dishonest.
n. an act or stratagem used to evade a responsibility, question, or consequence, often through cunning or trickery. It frequently implies deceit.
Claiming he was busy was a simple dodge.
His vague response was a clear dodge to avoid answering the reporter's direct question.
The company used a complex series of legal dodges involving offshore shell corporations to avoid paying millions in domestic taxes.
From a Middle English diminutive form of Roger.