Enter a clue or pattern or both:
The Clue
Exonerating excuse (5 letter answer)
The Answer
ALIBI
Tags
Notes
The answer ALIBI is seen frequently, appearing about once every 90 puzzles.
Related Clues
Excuse
___ Ike
Out
Cover story
Defendant's defense
Defense at court
Defense ploy
Excuse of a sort
"___ Ike": Lardner
Ike's specialty
Lardner's "___ Ike"
Lardner's ___ Ike
Legal defense
Plausible excuse
Saving yarn?
Slip cover?
Suspect eliminator
Suspect's "out"
Suspect's story
Way out
Whodunit feature
At another place: Lat.
___ Ike (buck-passer)
Mystery-story ingredient
Point in a suspect's favor
It might be airtight
What a murder suspect needs
Definition
ALIBI as a noun:
1. (law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
2. (excuse, alibi, exculpation, self-justification) = a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.; "he kept finding excuses to stay"; "every day he had a new alibi for not getting a job"; "his transparent self-justification was unacceptable"
ALIBI as a verb:
1. exonerate by means of an alibi