parry

4 definitions • 5 examples

to defend yourself from a weapon or an attack by pushing the weapon away or by putting something between your body and the weapon

to manage cleverly to avoid dealing with a difficult question or some criticism:

Predictably the president parried enquiries about the arms scandal.

the act of blocking an attack by pushing a weapon away or putting something between your body and a weapon:

The parry is intended to deflect an attack.

The combatants engage in a series of attacks, parries, and counter attacks.

the act of cleverly avoiding a difficult question or some criticism:

Her exchanges consist of only a few lightweight parries.

His income tax records were made public during a 2004 legal parry.