weasel word

****************************************************************
Attention word gurus:  try WORD SWEEP!, the first board game to feature 
Merriam-Webster definitions! Available at Borders Bookstores.
http://www.wordsweep.com
****************************************************************

The Word of the Day for January 18 is: 

weasel word   \WEE-zul-WURD\   noun
          : a word used in order to mislead a person or to avoid a straight 
answer
 

Example sentence:
          Instead of just saying outright that jobs are going to be cut, the 
head of the company has taken to using weasel words like "corporate 
restructuring."

Did you know?
          Some people believe that weasels can suck the insides out of an egg 
without damaging the shell. An egg thus weasel-treated would look fine on the 
outside, but it would actually be empty and useless. We don't know if weasels 
can really do that, but the belief that they could caused people to start using 
"weasel word" to refer to any term intended to give the impression that 
everything is fine when the speaker is really trying to avoid answering a 
question, telling the truth, or taking the blame for something.





You Are Subscribed As: gclw-mw-wod7@xxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe, please click here:
http://www.drhinternet.net/mw/u/966408/568f14b4ab4f050b/N448L6

To change your e-mail address or to subscribe to the html
version of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day, featuring audio
pronunciations, please visit:
http://mw.drhinternet.net/sm/wod/changeofaddress.iphtml

(c) 2007 by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster, Inc.
47 Federal Street
P.O. Box 281
Springfield, MA 01102