XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: tonycooper214@gmail.com   
      
   On Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:43:54 +0100, Aidan Kehoe    
   wrote:   
      
   >   
   >Speaking (in sci.lang) of Andy Grove, he uses waffle in the above sense in his   
   >good, well-edited ‘High Output Management.’ In my youth I would only have used   
   >or understood the word in the meaning ‘to ramble on, to say nothing of much   
   >consequence,’ and OED2 documents that the fail-to-make-a-decision sense is   
   >colloquial or non-standard.   
   >   
   >I presume I have misunderstood various Americans over the years in not picking   
   >up on the ‘dither’ meaning. How universal is that meaning over there?   
      
   In my usage, to "waffle" is to provide a reply to a question or demand   
   that does not provide a specific response, acceptance, or denial.   
      
   To include the "ramble" meaning, I would use "waffle-on".  The   
   response is extended, but with additional comments that don't clarify   
   anything.   
      
   A classic waffle used by a parent to child's request or demand is   
   "We'll see".  If the parent adds a number of conditions that may or   
   may not determine if the request or demand will be granted, the parent   
   has "waffled-on".   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)