Re: To waffle, ‘to waver, to vacillate, to equivocate, to dither’

Christian Weisgerber wrote:

On 2024-04-25, Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
 

AHD (American, ca.1970) has neither -- no verb "waffle".

 AHD (5th ed., 2022) is online.
https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=waffle
1. To be unable to make a decision; waver
2. To speak or write evasively
 

I can't make M-W work on this machine; so awaiting information on its
current status in the USA,

 M-W.com also lists both meanings.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waffle
waffle
2 of 3
verb
waffled; waffling ˈwä-f(ə-)liŋ  ˈwȯ-
intransitive verb
1
: EQUIVOCATE, VACILLATE
waffled on the important issues
also : YO-YO, FLIP-FLOP
2
: to talk or write foolishly : BLATHER
can waffle … tiresomely off the point
—The Times Literary Supplement (London)
In American English, vacillation is the almost
exclusive use of the word that I've encountered.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/waffle
UK
to talk or write a lot without giving any
useful information or any clear answers
US(UK dither)
to be unable to make a decision
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/waffle
verb (used without object)
to speak or write equivocally:
to waffle on an important issue.
verb (used with object)
to speak or write equivocally about:
to waffle a campaign promise.
verb (used without object)
British.
to talk foolishly or without purpose; idle
away time talking.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/waffle
in American English
VERB INTRANSITIVE
Word forms: ˈwaffled or ˈwaffling
1.  to speak or write in a wordy, vague, or indecisive manner
NOUN
2.  Chiefly British
wordy, vague, or indecisive talk or writing
Looks like a definite distinction between British
and AMerican usage.