wishy-washy

English

WOTD – 3 July 2010

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɒʃ.i/
• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɔ.ʃi/, /ˈwɪʃ.iˌwɑ.ʃi/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (AU):

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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

wavering or lacking in commitment, certainty, or support

• Danish: vægelsindet
• French: molasse (fr), mollasson (fr), béni-oui-oui (fr), chiffe molle (fr), femmelette (fr), couille molle (fr) (colloquial), girouette (fr), +fadasse (fr), aseptisé (fr)
• German: Wischiwaschi- (de)
• Italian: incerto (it), smidollato (it), mollaccione m, indeciso (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: indeciso (pt) m, enrolado m
• Russian: невырази́тельный (ru) (nevyrazítelʹnyj), безли́кий (ru) (bezlíkij), бле́дный (ru) (blédnyj), (somewhat, informal) хи́лый (ru) (xílyj), зы́бкий (ru) m (zýbkij)
• Spanish: indeciso (es) m, lábil (es), débil (es), (colloquial) calzonazos (es), vacilante (es), veleta (es), tornadizo (es)
• Swedish: vacklande (sv)

thin or watery

• French: lavasse (fr), jus de chaussette (fr), pisse d’âne (fr), bibine (fr), eau de vaisselle (fr)
• German: verwässert (de)
• Icelandic: lapþunnur m
• Italian: annacquato (it) m, allungato (it) m, diluito (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: vassen (no), tynn (no)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: водяни́стый (ru) (vodjanístyj), сла́бый (ru) (slábyj), жи́дкий (ru) (žídkij)
• Spanish: bebistrajo (es), aguado (es)