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An illustration of a weasel using "weasel words". In this case, "some people" are a vague and undefined authority. 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.
Weasel words are words and phrases aimed at creating an impression that something specific and meaningful has been said, when in fact only a vague or ambiguous claim has been communicated. A common form of weasel wording is through vague attribution, where a statement is dressed with authority, yet has no substantial basis. Phrases such as ...
Some people say the quintessential example of weasel words is the phrase "Some people say". Some encyclopedias have style guides entitled avoid weasel words which strongly discourage the use of weasel words. However, there are editors [who?] who think that weasel words are helpful and absolutely appropriate in some cases. These editors believe ...
A while back on the talk page, someone asked if there was ever a poll that showed consensus. I am making one Wikipedia talk:Avoid weasel words/Consensus straw poll. Eyu100 (t|fr|Version 1.0 Editorial Team) 00:57, 7 July 2007 (UTC) Here is the link to the post referred to, by User:HalfDome, from 17 March 07.
I do not see why an encyclopedia must be more verbose for the sake of in-sentence attribution for every statement. Neutrality is not a given in an environment where weasel words are banned, Attribution to sources with undue weight is a problem which violates the Neutrality policy but fits entirely within the Avoid weasel words guideline.
When reporting claims and opinions, so-called "weasel words" tend to crop up, like "some believe", and "others claim", which should always be avoided. Replace the weasel words with names of people, institutions, or publications, and cite the source of your claim. See Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words.
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The main problem with weasel words is that they interfere with Wikipedia's neutral point of view; but they give rise to other problems too: Uninformative. The purpose of an encyclopaedia is to provide accurate and useful information. Weasel words are imprecise, often inaccurate, and usually uninformative. Wordy. Weasel words are generally just ...