Jason's impending bar mitzvah offers them all a convenient pretext to keep up the bickering, especially since Jason isn't sure he wants a bar mitzvah.

This was simply a convenient pretext; the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact had already given German approval to the Soviet Union taking over the Baltic countries.

This inevitably provided a convenient pretext for the settling of personal vendettas or to eliminate competition by officers seeking the same command.

Partner had not been interested in garnets or the mines from which they came; that had been a convenient pretext to lull sus- picion.

Almost certainly the orderly's announcement of lunch was a signal, and Malek had found a convenient pretext for going upstairs to prepare his execution weapon.

These powerful deputies were difficult prey, but a financial scandal involving the French East India Company provided a "convenient pretext".

This inevitably provided a convenient pretext for settling personal vendettas and eventually resulted in a witch-hunt.

He has fostered an alliance of isolated, minority claims, on the pretext, as convenient as it is vague, of combating 'discrimination'.

"If inconsistently applied procedural rules sufficed as 'adequate' grounds of decision," he said, "they could provide a convenient pretext for state courts to scuttle federal claims without federal review."