Ever been in a situation where you just wanted to avoid the question? Open your dictionary to a common phrase: “I Don’t Want to Talk About It.” Originating in the mid-twentieth century among politicians and diplomats, it soon shifted gears into broader realms, landing on the lips of celebrities, CEOs, and eventually everyone else who’s rather zip it than tip it.
Close Cousins and Parallel Prose:
- No comment: The terse, sometimes curt cousin to our featured phrase.
- Pleading the Fifth: Borrowed from U.S. legal jargon, it’s a frequent visitor when silence is golden.
- Let’s change the subject: An overt attempt at redirection.
- My lips are sealed: Promises secrecy, self-applied
- I prefer not to say: The diplomatic diplomat’s way.
SYNONYMS (Silent Allies):
- Tongue-tied
- Mum’s the word
- Tactful omission
ANTONYMS (What You Won’t Hear):
- Full disclosure
- Coming clean
- Spilling the beans
RELEVANT QUOTES:
- “The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.” – James A. Garfield
- “In the face of inquiring eyes, there’s magic in muttered ’never minds’” – Anonymous
NOTEWORTHY PROVERBS:
- “Still waters run deep.”
Explanation: Sometimes, silence is loaded with meaning. This proverb…undermines our belief in evasive silence.*
SUGGESTED LITERATURE, SONGS AND MOVIES:
- Books: “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller, for famous evasions and avoidances in military bureaucracy.
- Songs: “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” by Rod Stewart, capturing evasiveness in lyrical tones.
- Movies: “Liar Liar” by Tom Shadyac, where honesty is judicially enforced.
### Which phrase is a true evasive idiom?
- [ ] Walking the invisible dog
- [x] I prefer not to say
- [ ] Baking quiet cakes
- [ ] Scribbling in whispers
> **Explanation:** "I prefer not to say" fits right in the realm of dodgy responses.
### Identify the authentic evasive response:
- [x] Pleading the Fifth
- [ ] Chewing the silent chihuahua
- [ ] Talking to imaginary friends
- [ ] Watering under the bridge
> **Explanation:** "Pleading the Fifth" is a lawful method of evasion recognized internationally.
### True or False: "No comment" confirms one’s enthusiasm to answer the question.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "No comment" deflects and otherwise abandons the pursuit of answering the question, a hallmark of evasiveness.
And with that, remember friends, that sometimes not speaking volumes is silence conveyed loud and clear!
Inspirational Send-Off
As you navigate the conversations of life, may your pause buttons be perfectly timed and your dodges be merely dances to a much better tune.
Until our next quiet interlude, A. Void Fiction
Published: October 25, 2023
