The Waffling Politician

[Chris Atkinson]

Friday night, I promised my two young sons that when we woke up, while their mom was on a road trip, I'd cook breakfast. Both, but particularly my youger one, a kindergartner, said they wanted omelettes.

This was great, because I also wanted an omelette. We would have a great breakfast with cool stuff in our omelettes.

The next morning, my kindergartner announced that he wanted a waffle. I asked him, "Don't you want an omelette?"

He responded that he did not want an omelette. He wanted a waffle. So when I asked him if he had changed his mind, and reminded him that he'd said omelette the night before, he agreed. He'd changed his mind.

It then struck me.

One time a politician said he wanted an omelette. But when it came time to placing the order, he asked for a waffle instead.

This is the likely origin of someone changing their mind when it comes down to time to commit. This is why someone changing their mind at commitment time is referred to as "waffling".

Well at least that's the theory Sammy and I came up with yesterday.

Chris

[Julie R.]

Pretty good theory--always wondered where that term came from. I always thought of lots of holes where things hide when I hear the term waffling.

[ducknwork]

This thread will never last on POTUS...there is nothing to argue about!

Add something about Obama eating omelettes with black truffles and caviar and we'll be good to go for at least a week...

[dnf777]

Careful there Chris! It always starts out as a simple, innocent comment.....and the next thing you know, WHAMMO!

And if YOU get mired down in the alleys of POTUS, who's gonna drag us out??

[Ken Bora]

The term waffle, particularly outside the U.S., 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. Etymologists say the term was derived from waff[1], 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 unclear, the inference is that waffle words have about as much meaning as the noise made by a dog barking.
Waffling can also be used as a derogatory term; to describe, for instance, a candidate or politician who is considered to easily switch sides on issues to curry political favor (ie. "flip-flop"), as an easily-flipped breakfast food with the same name. A waffle was famously used to represent President Bill Clinton in the Doonesbury comic strip.[2]
The term "to waffle" denotes indecision about particular subjects; "waffling" can also mean changing one's mind frequently on a topic. Example: "Jimmy always waffles between wanting to go to school, or not. Jimmy, you must make up your mind".


and, hard to pour Pure Vermont Maple
Syrup on an egg




.

[Julie R.]

Ken! that dictionary entry is just wrong, how can anyone believe a straightforward animal like a dog barks for no reason or that its bark is waffling? Surely you understand all the different Chesapeake barks? Such as: where's dinner? Who is that at the door? Hey, there's a strange animal outside! Or, come any closer to this truck and I'll have to hurt you along with of course, the infamous CBR roooooo that can mean different things. Guess I'm waffling on whether I like those definitions....