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Come to think of it, wwh, there are other foreign words which work like "uber". The french words "tres", "haute" and "trop". The Spanish word "mucho" and probably many others as well including "amigo". Recently I saw the word "couture" used in the heading of a magazine article, "Craft couture". BTW lawyers use the term "weasel words" to describe the small print in a contract. Your descripton of "weasel words" sucking out the life blood of a companion term is probably very apt. The small print in a product disclaimer sucks out the life blood of the promises appearing elsewhere on the package. While your term conjures up associations with a "vampire" which some lawyers might find a little "trop", I for one, am not offended. Wordplay is more fun, and more foregiving, than swordplay.
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Years ago there was a very fine radio program, "Amos and Andy". At one point Andy was in the insurance business, and explained to a client why no benefits were due him, by telling him: "The large print giveth, but the fine print taketh away."
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Said the judge, apocryphally
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the coverages on front side of this insurance policy say it covers everything.
The exceptions on the back side of this insurance policy say it covers nothing.
It is up to you, ladies and gentlemen, to determine which side to believe."
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Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Amos and Andy are long gone but their wit is as fresh as ever.
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Pooh-Bah
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...too bad only you and I feel as you do regarding me
I love you for loving me,
You love me for loving you.
I kiss you for kissing me,
You kiss me for kissing you.
So much in love with us are we,
You kiss you and I kiss me.
--- Tom Smothers
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I love me, I am the best. The merry hell with all the rest.
If you hate me as I hate thee, no sword can cut our hate in three.(My best friend wrote that in my Junior Highschool yearbook.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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One of my late father's favorite bits of doggerel:
I love me. I think I'm grand.
When I go out, I hold my hand.
I put my arm around my waist.
When I get fresh, I slap my face."
(which I hadn't thought about for a decade. S'eye & dr. b, thanks for the memory.)
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addict
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weasel words
I thought they were so called because these words formed the clauses used to weasel out of the contract
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weasel words
I thought they were so called because these words formed the clauses used to weasel out of the contractYeah, you're right, Rodward. I was just trying to stretch the meaning to work it into wwh's metaphor about sucking all the blood out of his "uber frugal" example. In a way, "weasel words" do suck the blood out of a contract because they drain away the intent of both parties, as a result of which they both end up with less. I could have used this example instead of the 'cereal box disclaimer' example ... but I didn't think of it.  Thanks for correcting me.
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