Today's Word is Prevarication

Word Fun with Uncle Bill

Today’s word is Prevarication. Here is how it works!

Let’s say that you tell your teenage son that you will be feeding him 33% less from now on because you told your neighbor that’s how much less you were going to feed him and the neighbor agreed with you. 

This is called Establishing Fact. 

Your son says “no way” and stops doing his chores. Since he is family, you stop paying him his allowance, refuse to feed him, and cancel his health insurance. 

This is how Family works. 

Because your son's room is now empty,  you have a great idea and offer his room to one of the neighborhood girls who plays violin. Upon hearing of this, your son and his friends ask the girl to please not move in, and she agrees to stay home and practice Bach. You are outraged and send everyone in the neighborhood an email telling them how people who know your son made this poor little girl “feel threatened” and that’s why she didn’t move in to take your son’s room. 

This is also a very convenient way to avoid from having your neighbors focus on the fact that you are a schmuck for giving away your son’s room in the first place, but this is what we call Prevarication. 

Prevarication is not the same as a lie. No, no, no. It is different. It means to alter the truth in lots of ways in order to suit your needs, without really proving or claiming anything! 

Let’s use it in a sentence. “Prevaricating allows me to have my way and still slither to and fro on the backyard lawn at night.” Very Good! 

Tomorrow’s new word?  Integrity. See you then!