Business writing is full of words that sound impressive but say very little. They are known as weasel words. They are at their worst when they are used quite deliberately to avoid meaning and to create the illusion of substance.
Politicians, marketers, public servants and corporate executives love them. They can soften bad news, exaggerate claims, or make statements appear meaningful without saying anything concrete. Other professionals use them because they think it is a legitimate way of writing. A.I. having learnt to write from the Internet is a great “weaseller”.
The origin of “weasel words”
A “weasel word” comes from the idea that a weasel can suck the contents out of an egg while leaving the shell intact. The weasel is a cunning animal which implies that a weasel word has the intent to deceive.
It is always clever to throw in a Shakespeare quote (As You Like It — Act II Scene 5) but he did think of everything before anyone else so can’t avoid it:
I can suck melancholy, out of a song, as a weasel sucks eggs.
Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the US from 1901 to 1909 (and capable of making rational statements unlike more recent office holders) said in a speech in 1916:
One of our defects as a nation is a tendency to use what have been called ‘weasel words’. When a weasel sucks eggs the meat is sucked out of the egg. If you use a ‘weasel word’ after another, there is nothing left of the other.
Five common weasel words in business writing
Today, weasel words are commonly identified. Here are five of the worst offenders (oh gosh, I know I use some of these words):
SIGNIFICANT
For something to be significant you really need to explain in what way, otherwise it is just a magnifier, that is, an adjective like “incredible”.
COMMITTED TO
Politicians are always “committed to” change in an area but this does not usually mean they are doing anything about it. “Committed” is a favourite weasel word of Don Watson’s in Death Sentence, a must read book.
EXPERTS SAY
This is a beautifully deceiving phrase that seems to provide a fact but really is completely unsubstantiated. You will hear it used in many different forms—“people say”, “surveys show” “our research indicates” (also known as false authority). And, of course, you can always find someone who will have said it so you won’t be caught in a lie.
MIGHT
If you are using “might” in your business writing you will almost always be meaning “I am not doing it but know that I should be”. “May” & “probably” are equal ways of weaselling out of commitment (or hedging your bets).
ENSURE
“Ensure” now seems to be required to accompany any verb in business-speak. No one delivers outcomes but instead they “ensure” that the outcomes are delivered. This morning I “ensured that the washing up was done”—unable to delegate it, I just “did the washing up”.
Why weasel words matter
Weasel words make writing less clear. Whether in tenders, corporate reports, press releases, or marketing campaigns, they allow our leaders to dodge accountability and make empty promises. Strong writing should be direct, specific, and backed by evidence.