alibi
noun [ C ] uk/ˈæl.ɪ.baɪ/ us/ˈæl.ɪ.baɪ/
(尤指没有犯罪时间的)不在犯罪现场的证据
proof that someone who is thought to have committed a crime could not have done it, especially the fact or statement that they were in another place at the time it happened
He has a cast-iron (= very strong) alibi - he was in hospital the week of the murder. 他有不在犯罪现场的铁证——谋杀发生的那一周他在住院。
借口,托词
an excuse for something bad or for a failure
After eight years in power, the government can no longer use the previous government's policy as an alibi for its own failure. 本届政府已经执政8年,面对自己的失误,它再不能拿前任政府的政策作挡箭牌了。