prevaricate: Not what happens right before you varicate. To prevaricate means to sidestep the truth, either through doublespeak and misdirection or through outright lies. Politicians have for a long time been the top candidates for the epithet prevaricator, but more recently, big business CEOs and CFOs have been gaining ground on legislators, though they're more likely to be called a host of other things before prevaricator makes it to the list.