loophole

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   an ambiguity, omission, or exception in a law or rule that allows its purpose to be avoided

   The company used a tax loophole to reduce what it owed.

2. 2
   noun

   a narrow opening in a fortified wall through which a weapon could be fired

   An archer watched the road through a loophole in the tower wall.

From Middle English loupe, 'opening in a wall,' + hole; loupe probably came from a Germanic source. The figurative sense arose from the notion of a small opening that provides a means of escape from a restriction.

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