Waffle (speech)

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British usage of the term waffle denotes language without meaning; blathering, babbling, droning. One might waffle throughout an essay or a presentation, when not having enough material or needing to fill in time. People waffle at one another when they have nothing truly worthwhile to say, unlike small talk or bullshitting where information is being exchanged.

In the United States, waffling is used as a derogatory term to describe a candidate or politician who is said to easily switch sides on issues to curry political favor. A waffle was famously used to represent President Bill Clinton in the Doonesbury comic strip. Synonymous with flip-flop.

This usage dates back to the late-19th century in the United States, and apparently has no relation to the food. Etymologists say the term was derived from waff, a 17th-century onomatopoeia for the sound a barking dog makes, similar to the modern woof. Although the relationship between a dog's bark and indecisiveness is not entirely clear, the speculation is that the words of a waffler have no more meaning than a dog barking.