evasive answer; subterfuge; excuse
A word or phrase used to dodge a question or avoid giving a direct answer; often implies a clever or deceptive evasion.
He always resorts to evasive answers and never gets to the point.
The politician's reply was nothing more than a subterfuge.
Compound of 遁 (とん, 'flee, evade') and 辞 (じ, 'word, expression'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with evasive speech.