mealy-mouthed

Definition

Prone to speaking evasively, indirectly, or duplicitously; not forthright.

Etymology

Possibly from German Mehl im Maule behalten, via Martin Luther

Example Sentences

• "The surliness with which the woodchopper speaks of his woods, handling them as indifferently as his axe, is better than the mealy-mouthed enthusiasm of the lover of nature."
• "The editors engage in mealy-mouthed apologetics, setting up Orthodox Jews as agents of gentrification, yet they fail to note that it is not white hipsters being beaten but longtime residents of Williamsburg and Crown Heights."