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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 ...
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 ...
But in the general case, as user:Ramir points out, it might be a syntactical construction, or an implication, or the order of certain words or syllables which creates ambiguities. Use of "a weasel word" differs from using "weasel words", and from weasel-wording, or weasel-wordiness.
For ‘say’ my dictionary has as the primary meaning: utter (specified words) in a speaking voice; remark; put into words; express; state; promise or prophesy. So, whilst ‘say’ and ‘state’ may convey the same meaning, there are different nuances.
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).
Privately, real estate agents call them "weasel clauses" because they allow buyers to cancel a contract without paying a penalty and with a refund of their earnest money deposit.
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.