Ad
related to: avoid weasel words dictionary meaning list
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
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 ...
The current logic goes like this: Vague phrases are bad. 'Weasel words' are sort of vague, let us call it that. Look, 'weasel words' are in the dictionary. 'Weasel words' in the dictionary says, 'intentionally vague for the purposes of misleading', let us call it that. See the mistake? It is all very well to look up 'weasel words' in the ...
The editors can decide, collectively, what is "generally accepted by them, and then describe that in a guideline, and that is not weasel wording. (Unless the guideline means not generally accepted by editor consensus but by academics at large or something, in which case that WOULD be weasel wording, and indeed be ironically placed).
"Assert" is one of those words that is a synonym for say, which introduces a bias to the statement. And in the Wikipedia article on weasel words, "Some people say . . ." is given as one of the weasel terms to avoid. In fact, it's the very first example. I just thought that was kind of funny.
Most appalling, Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro went even further compared Israel with the Nazis, says Andres Oppenheimer | Opinion
Therefore the right summary for weasel words (which used to be the text of the article) is along the lines of "avoid cloaked implications". --BozMo talk 07:13, 28 June 2012 (UTC) I believe that the essential nature of weasel words is their vagueness: "Some people believe that ____" is weaseling.
Trump biographer Tim O’Brien ripped it as “Word Salad” or “The Crazy.” Translation: “I call it ‘The Weave.’ Everyone else calls it ‘Word Salad’ or ‘The Crazy.’” pic ...