Make Your Point > Archived Issues > WAFFLE
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pronounce
WAFFLE:
Say it "WOFF ull."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Our verb waffle looks a bit like dabble and scumble because all three of these are frequentative, meaning they express frequent, or repeated, action.
Could you define those other two bold words? What are you doing, again and again, when you dabble? And what are you doing, again and again, when you scumble something?
definition:
Before we check out the verb "to waffle," let's separate it from the noun "waffle," the delicious breakfast cake, whose name comes from a Dutch word that might trace back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "web or honeycomb." It's totally unrelated to the verb we're about to check out. Their identical spelling is just a coincidence.
In Scottish slang, to waff, or to waffle, is to yelp like a puppy.
More figuratively, it means to talk a whole lot without saying very much (a meaning we don't often use today), or to go back and forth on an idea without making a decision (a meaning we do often use today).
This "waffle" entered English slang, too, around 1701, and it's remained pretty popular.
To put that a different way, to waffle is to talk on and on, or, more commonly, to take a long time to make a choice, or to keep switching back and forth on something instead of settling firmly on it.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Verb, the intransitive kind: "They waffled, flipping the menu's pages again and again;" "They've waffled on that issue."
Other forms:
Waffled, waffling; waffler(s).
Rarely, "waffle" is also a noun, the uncountable kind, meaning "the kind of talking or writing that says a lot without meaning much." For example: "Cut the waffle and get to the point." However, I don't recommend using this noun--it just sounds confusing, like you're talking about cutting up your waffle at breakfast.
how to use it:
Pick "waffle" when you need a casual, slightly funny or irreverent word. It's more relaxed than synonyms like "hesitate," "vacillate," and "equivocate."
The tone is often negative. As a culture, we tend to dislike waffling, finding it a sign of weakness, timidity, indecisiveness, or a lack of clear leadership.
Talk about people waffling. Or, talk about people waffling on or about an idea, a decision, or a commitment. People can also waffle between or among options.
examples:
"My sister-in-law waffled between the mushroom cookies and pinwheel-shaped Finnish stars."
— Maggie Hennessy, Salon, 21 December 2020
"Albert Einstein first predicted gravitational waves in 1916 based on his general theory of relativity, but even he waffled about whether or not they truly exist."
— Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 11 February 2016
has this page helped you understand "waffle"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "waffle" without saying "waver" or "vacillate."
try it out:
At a political convention, a senator said this: "For too long, American leadership has waffled." A moment later, he referred to the president as "a timid man who hears only the voices of caution and the status quo."
The year was 1992. But it could have been just about any year, right?
Talk about what it means for a country's leadership to waffle. Can you give some examples of when this has happened in your lifetime? For a president to avoid waffling, what voices should he or she listen to besides the voices of "caution and the status quo"?
before you review, play:
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
Our game this month is "Codenames MYP." You can play it with a partner or by yourself. It's loosely based on the fantastic game Codenames Duet.
Check out the words in the grid. Ignore the colors; they're just the ones I had on hand.
If you’re playing with a partner, pick any 2 or 3 terms from the grid, and give your partner a one-word clue to help them guess your terms--without stumbling onto any that you didn't pick. Your partner can do the same for you. No hints! Just say your clue word and the number of terms it should point toward.
If you're playing solo, try to guess 3 terms in the grid by using this clue: "rigid." To see these answers, scroll all the way down.
If you need any definitions, give these a click:
sluice, Rorschach test, bastion,
rictus, tinderbox, incense,
chassis, albatross, facade.
review this word:
A. RESIDE.
B. RESOLVE.
C. RELIEVE.
2.
In The Queen of Water, Laura Resau wrote, "After waffling over it late into the night, I fall asleep, still _____."
A. thrilled
B. irritated
C. undecided
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Our verb waffle looks a bit like dabble and scumble because all three of these are frequentative, meaning they express frequent, or repeated, action.
Before we check out the verb "to waffle," let's separate it from the noun "waffle," the delicious breakfast cake, whose name comes from a Dutch word that might trace back to a Proto-Germanic word meaning "web or honeycomb." It's totally unrelated to the verb we're about to check out. Their identical spelling is just a coincidence.
Part of speech:
Pick "waffle" when you need a casual, slightly funny or irreverent word. It's more relaxed than synonyms like "hesitate," "vacillate," and "equivocate."
"My sister-in-law waffled between the mushroom cookies and pinwheel-shaped Finnish stars."
Explain the meaning of "waffle" without saying "waver" or "vacillate."
At a political convention, a senator said this: "For too long, American leadership has waffled." A moment later, he referred to the president as "a timid man who hears only the voices of caution and the status quo."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |
