Once when I was a kid watching a TV courtroom drama, a plot twist put one of the lawyers on the witness stand.  When he didn’t want to answer a question, he said “I remain silent.”  I was impressed on the one hand that he obliged even the humble, unsung court reporter by not requiring everyone to wait through an actual silence.  On the other hand, I was impressed by the paradox whereby the words “I remain silent” are acceptable at face value while obviously false.