Weasel word

Weasel words can be a form of tergiversation and may be used in advertising, popular science, opinion pieces and political statements to mislead or disguise a biased view or unsubstantiated claim.

[2] An article published by the Buffalo News attributes the origin of the term to William Shakespeare's plays Henry V and As You Like It, which include similes of weasels sucking eggs.

[3] The article claims these similes are flawed because weasels have insufficient jaw musculature to be able to suck eggs.

Ovid describes how Juno orders the goddess of childbirth, Lucina, to prevent Alcmene from giving birth to Hercules.

[6] Definitions of the word 'weasel' that imply deception and irresponsibility include: the noun form, referring to a sneaky, untrustworthy, or insincere person; the verb form, meaning to manipulate shiftily;[7] and the phrase "to weasel out," meaning "to squeeze one's way out of something" or "to evade responsibility.

For example, saying "it has been decided" without stating by whom, and citation of unidentified "authorities" or "experts," provide further scope for weaseling.

It can be used in combination with the reverse approach of discrediting a contrary viewpoint by glossing it as "claimed" or "alleged."

The construction "mistakes were made" enables the speaker to acknowledge error without identifying those responsible.

To achieve conciseness and clarity, however, most scientific journals encourage authors to use the active voice where appropriate, identifying themselves as "we" or even "I.