hooray word
n.— «Yet another feature of the campaign has been the so-called “hooray word,” a positive, uplifting term deployed in such vague ways that no one could possibly disagree with it.» —“British elections a treat for political linguists” by Peter Walker in London, England Sify (India) Apr. 28, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Ian in Jacksonville, Florida, wonders about why musicians use the word clam to mean “a mistake” or “an egregious musical error,” as in There are a lot of clams in there or We need to practice where the clams are regarding a...
A listener in Park City, Utah, says she and her fellow ski enthusiasts are having heated debates about the word nonplussed. It originally meant “at a loss,” from Latin non plus, meaning “no more,” suggesting a situation in...