Weasel Words, Caught in the Wild
But like it or not, lots and lots and lots of Americans need large vehicles for their jobs, their families, and their lives.
— From an article on gas mileage in cars
Here’s a great example of weasel words in action. “Lots and lots”? How many is that? Or, a better question: what percentage of vehicles? Sure, a million vehicles (to pick a number) is a lot by almost anyone’s standards, but that’s less than 1% of Americans. So, since the author is arguing the case for people having big cars, what’s the percentage and how does it compare to how many large vehicles are actually out there? I don’t know the answer and, in fact, I don’t even know how to adequately quantify “need”. I’ll bet the author doesn’t, either, but it’s not stopping him from using this would-be datum to make a point.