waffle
waffle Lexical Profile
waffle Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A crisp, sweet or savory batter cake baked in a specialized iron appliance that gives it a characteristic grid-like pattern.
"She poured maple syrup over her freshly baked waffle and served it with a side of bacon."
British Lengthy but trivial, vague, or meaningless talk or writing.
"The politician's speech was full of empty waffle that failed to address the actual crisis."
• verb
American To fail to make up one's mind, or to change one's opinions or decisions frequently.
"The committee continued to waffle on the budget proposal, delaying the project for another month."
British To speak or write at length in a vague, trivial, or evasive manner.
"Instead of answering the direct question, the manager just waffled on about company synergy."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, the verb typically means to vacillate or fail to decide, whereas in British English it commonly refers to speaking or writing at length without saying anything meaningful.
• Rhymes for waffle
Word Origin & Etymology
The food sense derives from Dutch 'wafel'. The verb and noun senses relating to speech come from the 17th-century Scottish and Northern English dialect word 'waff' (to yelp or blow), combined with the frequentative suffix '-le'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.