I could easily escape discomfort, temporarily, by answering email or browsing the web under the pretense of so-called "research".

通过回复电子邮件或以所谓的“研究”为名浏览网页，我可以很容易地暂时摆脱掉不适感。

youdao

He cheated me under the pretense of friendship.

他假借友谊欺骗我。

youdao

Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretense of keeping it alive.

妒忌，一条恶龙，它在保护爱情生命安全的借口下杀死了爱情。

youdao

Sometimes she sent me over to check up on him under the pretense of bringing him medicine.

NEWYORKER: The Pura Principle

Government intervention misdirects resources from wealth generating endeavors into crony capitalism, consumption and graft under the pretense of stimuli.

FORBES: Joseph Stiglitz Reminds Us That Nobel Prizes Are Highly Misleading

Now of course, under the pretense of fiscal responsibility, President Obama wants to do the most fiscally irresponsible thing imaginable, eliminate the ceiling entirely.

FORBES: Real Fiscal Cliff Crash When Interest Rates Rise