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  1. loophole love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A way of escaping a difficulty, especially an omission or ambiguity in the wording of a contract or law that provides a means of evading compliance.
  2. n. A small hole or slit in a wall, especially one through which small arms may be fired.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A small aperture, narrow toward the outside and splayed within, in the walls of a fortification or of any similar structure, through which small-arms may be fired at an enemy, or observations may be taken.
  2. n. An opening into or out of anything; a hole or aperture that gives a passage or the means of escape: often used figuratively, and especially of an underhand or unfair method of escape or evasion.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A method of escape, especially an ambiguity or exception in a rule that can be exploited in order to avoid its effect.
  2. n. A slit in a castle wall. Later: any similar window for shooting a weapon or letting in light.
  3. v. military To prepare a building for defense by preparing slits or holes through which to fire on attackers

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Mil.) A small opening, as in the walls of fortification, or in the bulkhead of a ship, through which small arms or other weapons may be discharged at an enemy.
  2. n. A hole or aperture that gives a passage, or the means of escape or evasion.
  3. n. An amibiguity or unintended omission in a law, rule, regulation, or contract which allows a party to circumvent the intent of the text and avoid its obligations under certain circumstances. -- used usually in a negative sense; -- distinguished from escape clause in that the latter usually is included to deliberately allow evasion of obligation under certain specified and foreseen circumstances.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a small hole in a fortified wall; for observation or discharging weapons
  2. n. an ambiguity (especially one in the text of a law or contract) that makes it possible to evade a difficulty or obligation

Etymologies

  1. loop +‎ hole (Wiktionary)
  2. loop2 + hole. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Corbett has rejected the term loophole, saying that in the case of gun-safety training, Florida's standards are stricter than Pennsylvania's.”

    Phillies Zone

  • “Corbett has rejected the term loophole, saying that in the case of gun-safety training, Florida's standards are more strict then Pennsylvania's.”

    Phillies Zone

  • “If there turns out that a loophole is allowing for illegal aliens to get insurance, they can change it.”

    Joe Wilson – Republican – South Carolina – Professional Jackass | My[confined]Space

  • “But a ferocious lobbying battle opened up … The availability of this loophole is a significant incentive for companies to invest in their overseas subsidiaries and take advantage of the tax shell game.”

    Wonk Room » Business Roundtable: ‘We’re Going To Spend Whatever It Takes’ To Defeat Corporate Tax Reform

  • “Right, but the loophole is the visa overstay, which is not the same as keeping out people we don't want to enter under any circumstances by denying them even a transit visa.”

    The Threat from the North

  • “That's probably what you call a loophole because it means that we can give more than most people can.”

    Stand and Be Counted: Making Music, Making History

  • “But until we are clear what loopholes we are really talking about, the mere invocation of the word "loophole" bypasses the difficulty of getting agreement on where and how to cut.”

    Slate Magazine

  • “While we're on the resolution front, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced one asking the Department of the Environment to close what he described as a loophole in his 2007 plastic bag ban.”

    SFGate: Top News Stories

  • “That provision-which I characterize as a loophole-means that the subsidy is actually more valuable to for-profit firms than to other types of employers.”

    US Market Commentary from Seeking Alpha

  • “Schumer said if the Treasury Department cannot close what he dubbed a loophole in the law, he will introduce legislation that would mandate carry-on bags as reasonably necessary for air travel.”

    Airwise News Top Stories

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Lists

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Comments

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  • chained_bear In castle architecture, a vertical slit for air, light, or shooting (presumably objects) through. Aug 25, 2008

  • jennarenn It's it great how loophole has so many loops and holes? Somebody had a list for words like this.... Jan 19, 2008

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‘loophole’ has been looked up 2001 times, loved by 1 person, added to 16 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 13.