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/ˌɪf baɪ ˈwɪski/ · adjective
(US, politics, of a speech, etc.) That equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term..
2010, Carol Phillip-Tudor, The Boy, The Professor and Ella's Regret, Dorrance Publishing Company (RoseDog Books), page 103, "You a foolin' nary a soul, mister Emil" says Bilky. "I's thinkin' maybe yourin a usin' the If-by-Whiskey defense. […] "
Use if-by-whiskey when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
If-by-whiskey means (US, politics, of a speech, etc.) That equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term..
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
2010, Carol Phillip-Tudor, The Boy, The Professor and Ella's Regret, Dorrance Publishing Company (RoseDog Books), page 103, "You a foolin' nary a soul, mister Emil" says Bilky. "I's thinkin' maybe yourin a usin' the If-by-Whiskey defense. […] "
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