Is there a word that names an excuse made so as to not look stupid?
Here is an example that actually happened:
A guy walks up to a girl and starts talking to her. After talking for some time, the girl asks the guy to give her a kiss, but the guy refuses. So to this, the girl said, "I just wanted to test you if you are a good guy or a bad one."
Best Answer
It's not one word, but I would call such an excuse "face-saving", which is defined by oxforddictionaries.com as "preserving one’s reputation, credibility, or dignity".