word choice - What do you call a response which does not address the question?


When some one is asked a question, sometimes if they are trying to avoid answering the question, they respond with something unrelated. What is the word for that response?


Eg. A: Why were you late? B: This bagel tastes good.


What I am looking for is the name of that response, not the action.



Answer



The response in that example could be called a non sequitur: 'a statement having little or no relevance to what preceded it'. This doesn't imply deliberate avoidance, however.


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