The Skeptic’s Dictionary has a new entry for weasel words:
“Weasel words are words that suck all of the life out of the words next to them just as a weasel sucks an egg and leaves the shell.” Weasel words were first associated with politicians, who seem to have a penchant for saying things like “The public must be duly protected,” instead of “The public must be protected.”
Just watch TV for a few minutes and you’re exposed to more weasel language than you’re probably aware of. Like doublespeak, it’s meant not to communicate but to AVOID communicating. When you hear weasel words, you can bet that somebody is trying their hardest NOT to tell you something.
Sting of Reason 