plead ignorance/illness/insanity etcformalREASON to give a particular excuse for your actions 以不知情/生病/精神错乱等为理由[借口] She stayed home from work, pleading illness. 她告病在家不去上班。
plead ignorance/illness/insanity etc• The next day, she stayed home from work, something she rarely did, pleading illness.• As to his reference to rugby league, I plead ignorance and will not interfere with private griefs.• He attempted to plead insanity, but did it so effectively that they concluded he must be sane.• Galileo pleaded ignorance of any such document and promised to produce that signed by Bellarrnine in 1616.• In Seville he had often pleaded ignorance over some of the expressions she used.
→ plead ignorance/illness/insanity etc at plead(1)