"I could have given a very mealy-mouthed statement, " says David Graham , the scientist.

FORBES: Face Of The Year: David Graham

If you think that Hagel engineered his election wins by being a mealy-mouthed centrist, guess again.

FORBES: Why Republicans Should Welcome Chuck Hagel To The Pentagon's Top Job

If that sounded a bit mealy-mouthed, Mr Cameron was equally keen to denounce a second, older diplomatic tradition.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

U.S. President Bill Clinton then compounded the problem by being sluggish and mealy-mouthed in his efforts to formulate an apology.

CNN: EMBASSY FIASCO

To judge by some of the mealy-mouthed statements from western capitals in recent weeks, Serb offensives in Kosovo come in different varieties.

ECONOMIST: Its refugees are paying the price of western hesitation

But even the hawks, with the possible exception of Joe Lieberman, have looked mealy-mouthed because they hedged their support with so many caveats.

ECONOMIST: Winners and losers in American politics

But all this came after days of mealy-mouthed denial and obfuscation.

ECONOMIST: Political expenses scandal

George Bush's administration, which made periodic but mealy-mouthed complaints to Mr Sharon and then Mr Olmert about settlement-building, objected more vigorously to Israel's fencing in the more salient of the blocks, at Ariel and Maale Adumim, which is why the barrier round these areas is incomplete.

ECONOMIST: Israel

And what about the situation with the Tories, first of all against a, against a really strong anti-Europe Tory, Bill Cash say, will you stand against somebody like that or will you step aside in that circumstance and in general do you find the Conservative Party, William Hague which a lot of people find too anti-Europe, that you still find it mealy mouthed on Europe do you?

BBC: News Online