Weasel words is an Americanism that paints a vivid picture of cowardly deception. Another Latin phrase for equivocation that is widely used in American law, is suppressio veri, or “concealment of truth.” OK … but what are some everyday words for when people use misleading language? What is suppressio veri?Ĭharging someone with obfuscation is serious business, so many of the phrases used to do so are formal and ancient. The more colloquial phrase is a flip flop. Tergiversation is a peculiar Latin term ( tergum, “the back” and versare, “to spin”) for repeatedly changing one’s attitude or opinions. The hyper– prefix comes from Greek and means “excessive.” Deliberate exaggeration is actually the opposite of equivocation though: hyperbole tends to make a point by bluntly, obtusely presenting the evidence for one’s case. Tweens and teens tend to use hyperbole, otherwise known as an exaggeration, to overstate a case, such as exclaiming, “My friends have a million more privileges than I do, Mom. What other ways can we describe language that hides the truth? What is hyperbole? Most of us know what the word lying means, but what happens when someone carefully skirts the truth instead of telling a bold-facedwhopper? Politicians, in particular, are well-known for making use of equivocal language as a way of hiding their true actions.
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