weasel words, via slashdot:
http://www.weaselwords.com.au/words.htm
> Reject: As in 'Prime Minister John Howard today rejected claims that
> Australia joined the invasion of Iraq based on false assumptions.'
> From Dennis T who suggests this as a weasel word because of: ''the
> use of the word reject by politicians and others seeking to quell
> criticism. It may well be true to its dictionary definition (i.e.
> "put aside or send back as not accepted, practised, believed, chosen,
> used, complied with etc") but the use of the word by a skilled
> practitioner has the effect of clouding understanding, and
> diminishing both transparency of decision-making and accountability
> of decision-makers. It implies that considerable thought has taken
> place before a particular matter or person is rejected and it has a
> degree of finality. It also shifts emphasis toward perceptions about
> the seeming inadequacy of the rejected argument or even the
> credibility of the person raising the argument - rather than spelling
> out the basis for the rejection.'
and my own pet peeve:
> Email: 'The word 'email' or its variants such as 'e-mail' properly
> describes a system of communication electronically. It does not
> denote a message. So "I sent you an email" should more properly be "I
> sent you an email message." One sees this misuse very frequently in
> business correspondence and informal discussions. Its use reveals
> lazy thinking on the part of its users.
--ravi