n. 25B6; noun
high hedges : HEDGEROW, bushes, fence; windbreak; Brit. quickset.
an excellent hedge against a fall in sterling : SAFEGUARD, protection, shield, screen, guard, buffer, cushion; insurance, security.
his analysis is full of hedges : EQUIVOCATION, evasion, fudge, quibble, qualification; temporizing, uncertainty, prevarication, vagueness.
25B6; verb
fields hedged with hawthorn : SURROUND, enclose, encircle, ring, border, edge, bound.
she was hedged in by her education : CONFINE, restrict, limit, hinder, obstruct, impede, constrain, trap; hem in.
he hedged at every new question : PREVARICATE, equivocate, vacillate, quibble, hesitate, stall, dodge the issue, be non-committal, be evasive, be vague, beat about the bush, pussyfoot around, mince one's words; Brit. hum and haw; informal sit on the fence, duck the question.
the company hedged its position on the market : SAFEGUARD, protect, shield, guard, cushion; cover, insure.