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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for June 3, 1999
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mealy-mouthed [adj. MEE-lee mouthd]
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To be mealy-mouthed is to speak in circles, to be unwilling to
directly state facts or opinions. The phrase carries a strong sense
of disapproval. Example: "Senator McBain's mealy-mouthed platitudes
left us wondering if he had a point of view at all."
Some etymologists have linked this phrase with the Latin mel (honey).
The connection may seem appropriate, since a mealy-mouthed person
might also be called "honey-tongued."
The source of the phrase is actually more direct: a mealy-mouthed
person is like someone whose mouth is full of meal (powdered grain),
unable to speak clearly. There's a German expression, "Mehl im Maule
behalten" (literally, to carry meal in one's mouth) that means "to
speak indirectly." Our phrase most likely came from the German
expression, or a similar one in another Germanic language.
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