When you’re doing something you don't necessarily want to own up to, something you may want to deny ever happened, you can try to create a cloud of uncertainty and make it deniable.
Secret government agencies are adept at covering their tracks so their actions remain deniable. An intelligence bureau may work to encourage a coup, but by working through spies and operatives, the agency tries to keep its role secret and deniable. If you're addicted to late-night scenes of gluttony with chocolate-chip cookies, you may want to keep that secret deniable by creating a phantom aunt with a special fondness for cookies.
