noun / verb
waffle
Vague or rambling talk that avoids a clear point.
The speaker waffles without answering the question.
Etymology
The dialect base concerns empty or noisy talk. Waffle developed into prolonged speech that fails to make a clear point.
More examples
- The report contained pages of waffle.
- He waffled about the details.
- They are waffling instead of making a clear point.
Forms
waffle · waffles · waffled · waffling
Similar words
- ramble
- Wanders without a clear point, not necessarily evasively.
- equivocate
- Deliberately avoids commitment through ambiguous language.