When you come across vague expressions, use of passive voice and adverbs that weaken a statement or seem to create a meaningful claim…when it’s doing nothing of the kind — you should look out for weasel words!

Weasel words are generally used to create an impression that there’s something meaningful, when there isn’t. Use of euphemisms (“weapons of mass destruction”) and generalisations can indicate weasel-word practices. 

For example — “many critics say…” (which critics?) or “there’s a consensus amongst experts…” (which experts?) — even vague statements of certain percentages such as ‘the majority / minority’, can make you ponder what is the concrete evidence for the claim being made.

Weasel words are popular in politics and advertising (you can imagine why!) and when you spot the use of jargon and ambiguous statements in arguments, have a closer look and see if they are in fact weasel words.

Further Resources:

Don Watson’s Weasel Words

Hedging as a Fallacy of Language