Customer Reviews

Weasel Words: The Dictionary of American Doublespeak (Capital Ideas Book)

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"Weasel Words" defines words and terms used by politicians, the media, corporations, and PR pros that hide the true meaning of something. An example of a weasel word is presenteeism, which Paul Wasserman and Don hausrath define as when "your sick co-worker who insists upon coming to work sick."

This book is very funny. Anyone who loves words, keeping up with current events and politics, and likes to laugh will like this "Weasel Words."

I commend Wasserman and Hausrath for calling attention to "weasel words." You hear them in political speeches, from educators and at times, even use them yourself (a preowned car is really a used car).
Wasserman, a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland College of Information Studies, and Hausrath, a colleague also with UM, try to pin down doublespeak. The intent of the doublespeak users often is to conceal reality under broad abstractions, understatements or even distortion. Instead of the word "recession," the weasel phrase "economic adjustment" is used. Compiled in dictionary form, this can be a reference book or something to browse just for the fun of seeing the gobbledygook that government and too many others use.
The Table of Contents gives you an idea of the coverage:
A Abdominal protector to Axis of evil
B B2B to Burn rate
C Cabinet to Czar
D Daddy Mac to Dysfunctional family
E Early adopters to Eyes Only
F Fabrication to The 411
G Gaming to Gun Control
H Hackademy to Hurry sickness
I I feel your pain to Issues
J Jack-booted government thugs to Juvenile delinquent
K Kickback to Known knowns
L L-word to Lulu
M Machers to My fellow Americans
N Nannygate to Nutraceuticals
O OBE to Ownership society
P PACs to Purple state
Q Quaint to Quick and dirty
R Racial Privacy to Rustbelt
S Safe house to Synergy
T T-group to Type T
U Ugly Americans to Utilize
V Vacation Specialist to Voluntary termination
W Wake-up call to Wuss
Y You can be the proud owner to Youthful figure
Z Z¿s to Zippies

You hear many of them all the time: dialogue, detainees, special event, free market, misspeak. But the authors collect numerous weasel words from government bureaucracy, the military, big business, and marketing, among other fields, that the general reader no matter how well read, is not likely to have heard of: drool-proof paper, hikikomori, MUF, helicopter parents, surgical safari. The author's define or explain each word and usually make a witty, Ambrose Bierce-type, comment on it. There's also a lot of familiar words from the news and political debate--e. g., welfare, downsizing, supply-side economics, price supports--which come in for definition according to their partisan political use. An entertaining guide to the culture and politics of the day.

Thanks just what I wanted.
In great condition and a perfect present.
Kim

Weasle Words: The Dictionary Of American Doublespeak is an impressive and encompassing collection of thoughts and descriptively accurate views of modern American word and phrase usage. As an excellent reference for what is the true modern vernacular, sayings and understanding of what modern society has twisted the American version of the English language to elaborate or avoid political incorrectness. Very strongly recommended, especially for all non-specialist general readers with an interest in modern politics, culture and linguistics.

Weasel Words: The Dictionary Of American Doublespeak is an impressive and encompassing collection of thoughts and descriptively accurate views of modern American word and phrase usage. As an excellent reference for what is the true modern vernacular, sayings and understanding of what modern society has twisted the American version of the English language to elaborate or avoid political incorrectness. Very strongly recommended, especially for all non-specialist general readers with an interest in modern politics, culture and linguistics.

Weasel Words: The Dictionary Of American Doublespeak is an impressive and encompassing collection of thoughts and descriptively accurate views of modern American word and phrase usage. As an excellent reference for what is the true modern vernacular, sayings and understanding of what modern society has twisted the American version of the English language to elaborate or avoid political incorrectness. Very strongly recommended, especially for all non-specialist general readers with an interest in modern politics, culture and linguistics.

Weasel Words: The Dictionary Of American Doublespeak is an impressive and encompassing collection of thoughts and descriptively accurate views of modern American word and phrase usage. As an excellent reference for what is the true modern vernacular, sayings and understanding of what modern society has twisted the American version of the English language to elaborate or avoid political incorrectness. Very strongly recommended, especially for all non-specialist general readers with an interest in modern politics, culture and linguistics.

What I was expecting was a list of double speak terms and their definitions.

What I got was a list of words with a bunch of biased opinions and allegations toward certain groups of people who may be in some way associated with those words.

This book is not only politically offensive it's also outdated and in many places plain wrong.

The definitions provided show a lack of research and a great deal of assumption.

The book is a mish-mash of thrown together words, many of which are not even double speak. Many of the words are netisms and acronyms. Its lack of organization makes finding a particular word difficult.

I was expecting words used in car commercials and medication adverts to be defined (words like "customer cash" and "APR" that are real doublespeak words), but they were not.

This self-purported "dictionary" is nothing doing.

Paul Wasserman and Don Hausrath have produced a book which will amuse and entertain all and will in some cases inform. They look at the changes of meaning that have occurred either through design or accident. Design, of course, includes "political correctness" I am intolerant of the use of language to camouflage meaning. A casual thought on my part attributed most of this to two classes: politicians and bureaucrats Both need to be heard but neither wishes to inform. Hence their need for language which sounds informational but conveys no meaning.

Samples of entries include:
economically disadvantaged for poor
episode a bureaucratic term for used by governments and power companies to indicate a hazardous condition resulting in illness and death due to excessive pollution or radiation leaks.
negative economic growth for recession.
mobile home community for trailer park
o.g.a. for "other government agency" used by the military at overseas interrogation sites to indicate the Central Intelligence Agency.
sound science for anti-environmental policies that ignore scientific evidence..

As you go through the book -- and I heartily recommend you so to do -- note how many variations there are on the theme, "you're fired."