waffle
to talk unclearly
TRANSLATION
waffle = schwafeln, quasseln, unsinnig daherreden
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Mr Ambani WAFFLED on about being "blessed with a leader", the "unique leadership quality of a prime minister, a man who dreams and he does", who has apparently motivated a billion Indians to "dream and do".
(The Economist)
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Depending on your perspective, Jim Morrison was either a poet and visionary, or a drunken buffoon with a penchant for WAFFLING on about nothing, backed by overly-long keyboard solos.
(SF Weekly)
Did you
know?
waffle
verb
- to talk or write a lot without giving any useful information or any clear answers
(Cambridge Dictionary)
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The verb waffle, particularly outside the U.S., describes language without meaning. One might waffle throughout an essay or a presentation, when not having enough material, or needing to fill in time. It can also mean being indecisive.
Etymologists believe the term was derived from waff, a 17th century onomatopoeia for the sound a barking dog makes, similar to the modern woof. Although it's unclear how this sense developed, the inference is that waffle words have about as much meaning as the noise made by a barking dog.
Especially in the U.S., waffle is a negative term for changing one's opinion to gain the favour of someone or a group of people. The media enjoys accusing politicians in particular of waffling in order to win votes during an election.
The noun waffle, as in a batter cake baked in an iron griddle, apparently stems from the Dutch "wafel" and German "Wabe," a web or honeycomb.
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SYNONYMS
babble, beat around the bush, blather, equivocate, hedge, hem and haw, mince words, prevaricate, quibble, sidestep
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Practice OWAD in a conversation
"I wish the speaker would stop WAFFLING and get to the point."
