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A weasel. Kind of cute, actually. Deceitfully cute...? Some people might say so.

Weasel words (also known as anonymous authorities[2]) denote the use of ambiguous words and phrases intended to create the false impression that a vague or meaningless statement is, to the contrary, both specific and informative. In a sense, weasel words basically amount to an obscured appeal to authority in which the identity of the very authority being appealed to isn't even made clear by the appealer.

While weasel words may seem authoritative in their apparent support of a given point (or product), a closer look reveals that weasel words provide no actual strength to an argument whatsoever — ironically, when properly identified, even weakening any argument of which they were a part.

The allure of using weasel words lies in the possibility that they go undetected as such,[note 1] thus allowing them to fallaciously lend the pretense of depth to the vagueries in question. As such, weasel words can be employed strategically (in order to deceive outright) via attempting to obfuscate the otherwise apparent burden of proof which rests on a given speaker — expertly, with plausible deniability of the very presence of said weasel words left intact.

A common form of weasel words are those that make a claim appear widely accepted (Argumentum ad populum) by merely implying that it is (e.g. "Most people agree…"). For example, the claim could be made that "X is widely considered to be Y" — widely considered being the key phrase here. True or not, the statement itself provides no meaningful information whatsoever as to who considers X to be Y, to which extent X is considered to be Y, nor indeed how widely X is considered to be Y.

Another form of weasel words involves making a statement that sounds significant but really does not mean much (deepity). Cereal brands that tell you that they are "part of a balanced breakfast" imply that their products are healthy, when in reality, they have little nutritional value on their own. And we've all heard the story of the Walmart/McDonald's cashier who says s/he "handles transactions for a Fortune 500 company".

Etymology [ edit ]

It has been suggested[note 2] that the phrase originates from the folk-belief that weasels snuck up to bird eggs and carefully sucked out their contents,[note 3] leaving naught but the empty shell behind.

Regardless, Wikipedia elucidates the obvious connection to other qualities unfairly traditionally associated with weasels:[2]

Definitions of the word 'weasel' that imply deception and irresponsibility include these: the noun form, referring to a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person; the verb form, meaning to manipulate shiftily; and the phrase "to weasel out", meaning "to squeeze one's way out of something" or "to evade responsibility".

Examples of weasel words [ edit ]

See also [ edit ]

Not to be confused with [ edit ]

Notes [ edit ]

↑ Much like real weasels do. The sneaky bastards. ↑ The irony of this statement is not lost on us. ↑ despite weasels not having the necessary Planned Parenthood mandibles for such a procedure. This,weasels not having the necessarymandibles for such a procedure.

Notes [ edit ]