abject apology, acknowledgment, admission, advocating, advocation, alibi, amends, apologetic, apologetics, apologia, apologies, argument, argumentation, atonement, attrition, ayenbite of inwit, bicker, bickering, bitterness, blind, breast-beating, casuistry, championing, change of heart, cloak, color, concession, confession, contention, contriteness, contrition, controversy, cover-up, cover, cover story, deathbed repentance, defense, device, disputation, dispute, espousal, excuse, extenuation, facade, feint, flyting, front, gloss, grief, guise, handle, hassle, heartfelt apology, hubbub, justification, lame excuse, litigation, locus standi, logomachy, mask, mea culpa, ostensible motive, palliation, paper war, passage of arms, penance, penitence, polemic, polemics, poor excuse, pretense, pretension, pretext, protestation, public motive, put-off, redress, reformation, refuge, regret, regretfulness, regrets, regretting, remorse, remorse of conscience, remorsefulness, reparation, repentance, repining, rhubarb, saeta, satisfaction, screen, semblance, set-to, sham, shame, shamefacedness, shamefastness, shamefulness, show, smoke screen, sorriness, sorrow, stalking-horse, stratagem, subterfuge, support, trick, varnish, veil, verbal engagement, war of words, wearing a hairshirt, wistfulness, wrangling