The Clue
Mystery-story ingredient (5 letter answer)
The Answer
ALIBI
Tags
Notes
The answer ALIBI is seen frequently, appearing about once every 90 puzzles.
Related Clues
Excuse
Out
Pretext
Accused's need
Court defense
Cover story
Cover story?
Defendant's defense
Defendant's excuse
Defendant's out
Defense at court
Defense ploy
Epithet for Ike
Lardner's "___ Ike"
Lawyer's concern
Legal plea
Out of sorts?
Out for a trial
Plausible excuse
Pretext, perhaps
Saving yarn?
Suspect's defense
Suspect's excuse
Suspect's "out"
Suspect's story
Way out
Whodunit feature
Cover, so to speak
Defense witness, perhaps
Ironclad defense, usually
Point in a defendant's favor
Seemingly good excuse
It might be airtight
What an accused perpetrator needs
What a murder suspect needs
"I ran out of gas," e.g.
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