Weasel Word - in Business

In Business

Weasel words may be used to detract from an uncomfortable fact, such as the act of firing staff. By replacing "firing staff" with "headcount reduction", one may soften meaning. Jargon of this kind is used to describe things euphemistically.

In certain kinds of advertisements, words are missing or withheld deliberately to deceive the buyer. Words such as more or better are misleading due to the absence of a comparison:

  • "... up to 50% off." (How many items were actually decreased in price by half? The statement holds true even if the price of only one item is reduced by half, and the rest by very little or none.)
  • "Save up to $100 or more!" (What exactly is the significance of the $100? It is neither a minimum nor a maximum, it just sits arbitrarily somewhere in an undefined range.)
  • "... is now 20% cheaper!" (Cheaper than what? The last model? Some arbitrarily inflated price?)
  • "Four out of five people would agree..." (How many subjects were included in the study?)
  • "... is among the (top, leading, best, few, worst, etc.)" (Top 100? Best in customer service/quality/management?)
  • "... for a fraction of the original price!" (This wording suggests a much lower price even though the fraction could easily be 99/100 or 101/100)
  • "More people are using..." (What does that mean in numbers?)
  • "Nothing Is Stronger/Longer Lasting/Safer" (How many are equally as strong/long lasting/safe?)
  • "Lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks" (20 pounds of what? Water, muscle, bone, money?)

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Famous quotes containing the word business:

    “As for your friend, my prospective reader, I hope he ignores Fort Sumter, and “Old Abe,” and all that; for that is just the most fatal, and, indeed, the only fatal weapon you can direct against evil ever; for, as long as you know of it, you are particeps criminis. What business have you, if you are an “angel of light,” to be pondering over the deeds of darkness, reading the New York Herald, and the like.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)

    “A farmer, a hunter, a soldier, a reporter, even a philosopher, may be daunted; but nothing can deter a poet, for he is actuated by pure love. Who can predict his comings and goings? His business calls him out at all hours, even when doctors sleep.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)