mealy-mouthed

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

ME'ALY-MOUTHED, adjective Literally, having a soft mouth; hence, unwilling to tell the truth in plain language; inclined to speak of any thing in softer terms than the truth will warrant.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

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