Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
WEASEL WORDS
are sly, cunning, and sneaky; they lack integrity, and they conceal the truth. In the end they say one thing but mean something quite different. The world of advertising, the fine print in warranties, the political campaign lexicon—all these can be full of weasel words. From the direct mail materials that masquerade under eagles and “official” labels to the “You may already have won $1,000,000!” pitch, our society exhibits a remarkable concentration of efforts to fool, entrap, or cheat through language that misleads. From carefully misworded claims for cancer-curing, cholesterol-defeating cereals, to the gentility of the preowned automobile, many Standard users are accustomed to weasel words these days, yet the con artist and the snake oil merchant continue to prosper. Don’t be deceived by the weasel words of the free lunch and the big lie. See AMBIGUOUS; DOUBLESPEAK; EUPHEMISM; EUPHEMISMS.
