Distinction without a difference

Examples

• "I did not lie; I merely stretched the truth a little bit."
• From the film This Is Spinal Tap:
• * Marty: "The last time Tap toured America, they were, uh, booked into 10,000-seat arenas, and 15,000-seat venues, and it seems that now, on their current tour they're being booked into 1,200-seat arenas, 1,500-seat arenas, and uh I was just wondering, does this mean uh...the popularity of the group is waning?"
• * Ian: "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no...no, no, not at all. I, I, I just think that the... uh... their appeal is becoming more selective."