Equivocation

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The use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication.

The misleading use of a term with more than one meaning (by glossing over which meaning is intended at a particular time).

An informal fallacy resulting from the use of a particular word\expression in multiple senses throughout an argument leading to a false conclusion. Abbott and Costello's "Who's on first?" routine is a well-known example of equivocation.

It is a type of ambiguity that stems from a phrase having two distinct meanings, not from the grammar or structure of the sentence.


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