mealy-mouth1
/ˈmiːlɪmaʊθ/noun
1The mouth, voice, or manner of speaking of a mealy-mouthed person.
2A mealy-mouthed person.
3 British regional. Any of several birds, as the willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus, or the whitethroat, Sylvia communis.
Origin
Early 17th century; earliest use found in Thomas Dekker (c1572–1632), playwright and pamphleteer. From mealy + mouth.
mealy-mouth2
/ˈmiːlɪmaʊθ/Chiefly US (originally Black English )
verb
[no object] And with object. To speak indecisively (about); to equivocate, especially due to timidity or fear.
Origin
1930s; earliest use found in Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), writer and anthropologist. From mealy-mouth.