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March 8, 2016
Weasel Words Suck Out Truth and Tell It Like It Isn’t
Then there’s the little suffix -er . These two letters figure prominently in a device known as a dangling comparison.Just as the pronoun it may be missing a referent, the suffix -er often compares a product to nothing: “Crunchies stay fresh longer.” “Hammer headache remedy works faster.” “Belch Beer has fewer calories” (often cast as— gasp! — “less calories”). Longer than what? Faster than what? Fewer than what?, we are entitled to ask. Finally, beware and be wary of weasly adjectives that promise something special about a product that isn’t special: “Tanko, the detergent gasoline” or “Boozie, the natural beer” or “Coke. It’s the real thing.” Careful inspection of such eviscerated messages reveals that every gasoline is a natural cleaning agent, that all beers are made from grains, water and other natural ingredients and that “the real thing” simply means that nothing more than that the product itself is that product. Keep both eyes out for such “water-is-wet” claims. - - | Richard Lederer's Verbivore
Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 8, 2016 10:04 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.