The Hortators' fear of war is mere excuse.

Not the poor clay track that is now a mere excuse for a road.

Such patriotism, she correctly divined, was a mere excuse for looseness of conduct.

But Mr. John argues that at some point "external factors" become mere excuses.

As to the pretence of trying her native air, I look upon that as a mere excuse.

"It's a mere excuse for self-indulgence and sensuality," he said.

In her less effective passages, the characters often feel like mere excuses for their author to crack wise.

They ridicule talk of their links to outside agitators as mere excuses to repress them.

Coffee became a mere excuse; taking only occasional sips, they sat while it cooled.

His crisis was no mere excuse to shirk his responsibilities, though sometimes it felt that way to me.