wishy-washy

English

WOTD – 3 July 2010

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɒʃ.i/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɔ.ʃi/, /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɑ.ʃi/
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Adjective

wishy-washy (comparative wishy-washier or more wishy-washy, superlative wishy-washiest or most wishy-washy)

  1. Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, or support; namby-pamby.
    Not wanting to be pressed for details, public relations gave a wishy-washy answer.
  2. Thin or watery.
    The wishy-washy orange juice served by the cafeteria not only failed to be sweet; it was barely orange.
    • 1915, "Maine booze turns an iron tub blue", The Mixer and Server 24 (1): 5
      Usually the quality of the liquor is judged by the "bite" of it. The hotter the better. A drink of first class, aged whisky would be ridiculed in most parts of Maine as a wishy-washy beverage fit only for mollycoddles. The Down East "soak" wants something that stings and burns all the way, and usually he gets it []
    • 2006, Gipsy Petulengro, Romany Hints for Outdoor Living and Tips for Ramblers, page 7
      And you will appreciate drinking the hot cup, or rather billy, of tea—which is more than one can call the wishy-washy concoction served up in some 'tea-houses'.

Translations

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