Weasel word
Words or phrases using vague claims to appear meaningful
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Key Takeaways
- In rhetoric, a weasel word , or anonymous authority , is a word or phrase aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague, ambiguous, or irrelevant claim has been communicated.
- Examples include the phrases "some people say", "it is thought", and "researchers believe".
- , "weasel out of") any specific meaning if the statement is challenged, because the statement was never specific in the first place.
- Weasel words can also be used to weaken or understate a controversial claim in order to provide a hedge against negative feedback.
- Origin The expression weasel word may have derived from the egg-eating habits of weasels.
In rhetoric, a weasel word, or anonymous authority, is a word or phrase aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague, ambiguous, or irrelevant claim has been communicated. The terms may be considered informal. Examples include the phrases "some people say", "it is thought", and "researchers believe". Using weasel words may allow one to later deny (a.k.a., "weasel out of") any specific meaning if the statement is challenged, because the statement was never specific in the first place. Weasel words can be a form of tergiversation and may be used in conspiracy theories, advertising, popular science, opinion pieces and political statements to mislead or disguise a biased view or unsubstantiated claim.
Weasel words can also be used to weaken or understate a controversial claim in order to provide a hedge against negative feedback. An example of this is using terms like "somewhat" or "in most respects", which make a sentence more ambiguous than it would be without them.
Origin
The expression weasel word may have derived from the egg-eating habits of weasels. A 1999 article in Buffalo News attributes the origin of the term to William Shakespeare's plays Henry V and As You Like It, which include similes of weasels sucking eggs. The article claims these similes are flawed because weasels have insufficient jaw musculature to be able to suck eggs.
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