Not "In," Just "Among"

Tuesday night, the Washington Post reported that during the chaos after Trump fired Comey, Sean Spicer avoided reporters outside the White House by "hiding in the bushes."

via GIPHY

On Wednesday, they updated that report, saying that "Spicer huddled with staff among the bushes, not in the bushes."

I love it!  It's a useful new linguistic device for lessening the degree of one's involvement in something.  To wit:

I'm not in love, I'm among love.
I'm not in trouble, I'm among trouble.
I'm not in school, I'm among school.
I'm not in therapy, I'm among therapy.
I'm not in business, I'm among business.
I'm not in cahoots, I'm among cahoots.
I'm not in debt, I'm among debt.
I'm not in jail, I'm among jail.
I'm not in my cups, I'm among my cups.

(Etc. etc.  Plenty more I didn't think of.)