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Floskel

empty phrase, hollow cliché

noun FLOS-kel Rare

Origin: from Latin 'flosculus' (little flower)

Usage Note

Floskel is a formulaic phrase that sounds polite or meaningful but conveys little; leere Floskeln are empty words. Often used critically to describe meaningless political or corporate language.

Examples

"Seine Antwort bestand nur aus Floskeln und enthielt keinen konkreten Inhalt."

Natural Translation

His answer consisted only of empty phrases and contained no concrete content.

Literal Translation

His answer consisted only of hollow-phrases and contained no concrete content.

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