Waffle is language without meaning; blathering, babbling, droning. Its usage does vary, however it generally refers to speaking or writing in a vague, trivial, or nonsensical manner without making any clear or important points. This can occur during presentations, essays, or casual conversations, often to fill time or when the speaker lacks substantial material. The term likely derives from the Scots verb waff,[1] meaning "to wave" or "fluctuate," which aligns with the meandering and aimless nature of waffling speech.[1][2] Another theory suggests that the term emerged from the idea of waffle batter spreading in an irregular, non-linear pattern, much like incoherent talk.[3]
To waffle, particularly in the U.S., can also denote indecision about particular subjects, or changing one's mind frequently on a topic. Example: "Eoin always waffles when he's speaking to John on their podcast". To which John usually replies "Come on Eoin, come out with it!". It can be used as a derogatory term; to describe, for instance, a candidate or politician who is considered to easily switch sides on issues to curry political favor (i.e. "flip-flop"), as an easily flipped breakfast food with the same name – hence the waffle famously used to represent President Bill Clinton in the Doonesbury comic strip.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b William Safire (2004), "The waffling of the wishy-washy", The New York Times
- ^ John Jamieson (1808), "WAFF", An etymological dictionary of the Scottish language, vol. 2
- ^ Amy Coppini (2024), British English Slang Miniseries- Waffle (On), English with Amy Online
- ^ Tom Raum (1994), The waffle: White House no longer amused by cartoon, Associated Press
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