Whodunnit? Indirect speech has its positive use as a cooperative way to communicate —usually a good thing – and often effective on the dais or from the lectern to avoid detracting from the core message by pointing fingers. Government staff reports are full of indirect...
“One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called weasel words. When a weasel sucks eggs it sucks the meat out of the egg and leaves it an empty shell.” President Theodore Roosevelt, St. Louis, Missouri May 31, 1916 Weasel words are the...