In the course of a discussion there definitely come moments when some clarification is asked for and given.

Asking for clarification:

I'm sorry I don't quite understand what you mean by...;

I'm sorry, could you explain what you mean by...?

I'm afraid, I'm not really very clear about what you mean by... (tentative);

I'm sorry, but could you possibly explain what you mean by...? (tentative);

Did you mean that...?

Do you really think that...?

Did you say...?

But you said earlier that...;

I don't understand what you mean by...;

What (exactly) do you mean by...?

Giving clarification:

Well, what I'm trying to say is (that)...;

The point I'm trying to make is (that) …;

Well, I think/ suppose what I mean is (that)... (tentative);

What I mean is (that), What I'm saying is (that)... (both di­rect);

All I'm trying to say is (that)... (informal);

Well, to be frank …/ Frankly... (strong, blunt).

If you are asked awkward questions, the following phrases may be useful:

I'd like to think about that one;

Let me see;

The best way I can answer....

Another "delaying tactic" is to repeat the question you have been asked.

[1] descriptions of the lives of famous people who have just died

[2] an article giving the newspaper editor's opinion

[3] pages of advertisements in different categories

[4] separate magazines included with the newspaper

[5] an article or set of articles devoted to a particular topic

[6] sections in a paper or magazine that deal with readers' private emotional problems

[7] person, typically a woman, who answers letters in the agony column

[8] people trying to influence what other people think about a particular issue

[9] express their opinions

[10] want to reach a wider audience

[11] meetings to give information to and answer questions from the press

[12] give a formal announcement to the press

[13] short memorable sentence or phrase that will be repeated in news bulletins and articles

[14] time of year, summer in the UK, when there is not much happening and trivial stories end up on the front page

[15] making use of people or organisations which regularly provide news

[16] regularly checking

[17] space

[18] present a story in a particular way

[19] collecting scandal (informal and disapproving)

[20] Constitutional mandate: The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the freedom of speech and of the press

[21] enlightenment: the state of being informed

[22] L.C.C.: London County Council

[23] detractor: critic

[24] sound (here): good

[25] pursuit (here): work, activity

[26] shutter: the part of a camera which opens to allow light through the lens

[27] to snap: to click

[28] bulb (here): flashlight

[29] to crane one's neck: to stretch one's neck in order to see better

[30] glib: quick, easy

[31] involuntary: without intention

[32] colour bar: discrimination because of colour

[33] travesty: parody, farce

[34] heat: anger

[35] sop: offering intended to pacify

[36] conscience: part of your mind that tells you whether something is right or wrong

[37] to put someone through their paces: to make someone show how well they can do something

[38] vest: a piece of clothing which you wear on the top half of your body underneath a shirt

[39] slack s: trousers, esp. casual ones

[40] malicious: bad, harmful, spiteful

[41] outrage: scandal, shocking event

[42] to pass for: to be accepted as something that it is not

[43] caption: text under a photograph

[44] sleazy: dirty and unkempt

[45] uncouth: rough, bad-mannered

[46] depravity: moral corruption, sinfulness

[47] recess: break

[48] to infer (here): to suggest, to imply

[49] to soothe: to calm, to quieten

[50] twing e: sudden sharp feeling of an emotion

[51] volubl e: talkative

[52] slight (here): attack, insult

[53] distressed: upset

[54] grist to the mill: support for, useful material

[55] to malign somebody: say unpleasant and untrue things about someone

[56] Yom Kippur: Jewish holy day (Day of Atonement); Yom Kippur war: war started by the attack of several Arab states on Israel in 1973, at the time of Yom Kippur

[57] quod erat demonstrandum (Latin): used to say you have proved what you set out to prove

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