# Why do weasels have a bad reputation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277 "2015-05-04T22:08:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/1 "2015-05-04T22:08:45Z")
You hear about people “weaseling” out of promises or commitments, and the phrase is even used on this board when someone seems to be debating in a way that doesn’t answer his critics. I’m curious how the name of this particular animal was chosen for the idea of an untrustworthy person. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/2 "2015-05-04T22:15:20Z")
A sudden thought: maybe it was a drop-in replacement for Welsh since weasels can’t complain about stereotyping. Welshing for breaking a promise / Taffy was a thief etc. etc… I like weasels. Once saw a BBC documentary ( now unfindable ) about a pair living in the grassy ruins of a Norman Abbey. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/3 "2015-05-04T22:42:30Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > A sudden thought: maybe it was a drop-in replacement for Welsh since weasels can’t complain about stereotyping. Doubtful. It already had negative connotations in Shakespeare’s time. From **Henry V** : _For once the eagle England being in prey, To her unguarded nest the weasel Scot Comes sneaking and so sucks her princely eggs, Playing the mouse in absence of the cat, To tear and havoc more than she can eat._ ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/4 "2015-05-04T22:42:46Z")
Weasels don’t have a bad reputation. They have an exceptionally good reputation as escape artists. It’s hard to keep a weasel caged up, they always find thier way out. Thus if someone if is trying to successfully escape the confines of a deal, they are being weasely ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/5 "2015-05-04T23:00:59Z")
Not always derogatory: > [@](#): > > Blackadder: I’ve got a plan so cunning, you could put a tail on it & call it a weasel. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/6 "2015-05-04T23:07:36Z")
Just to chance to throw out a bit of folk wisdom. Eagles may soar but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/7 "2015-05-04T23:26:12Z")
As noted, it isn’t an especially bad connotation at least from the weasel’s point of view. Weasels are stealthy, sly hunters and it is very difficult to protect livestock like chickens from them. Once they make up their devious little minds to do something like eat all your chicks one night, they can and will do it and there is little you can do to completely prevent it. Farmers (and chickens) hate them for that of course but they would be flattered if they knew that you are wary of their cunning skills to do exactly what they want. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/8 "2015-05-04T23:28:38Z")
Come to think of it, I once posted from a Victorian book on the meanings of dreams, no doubt of ancienter beliefs: _Weasel : A bad wife or husband._ ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/9 "2015-05-04T23:30:24Z")
They don’t have a bad reputation! Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals!.. Except the weasels… ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/10 "2015-05-04T23:40:41Z")
Here is a cite for the reason poultry farmers hate weasels so much: “Weasels are known to be very cunning. Their cleverness and guile makes them first class predators, and their prey is often no match to their agility. Chickens with the back of their necks and heads missing, with its intestines out and bitten at the rear are most likely victims of this wily animal. What’s interesting is that weasels kill not only for food, but also for sport. In fact, they are known to keep killing until there is nothing left to kill. Due to its slender body, these animals can easily wiggle through chicken wires, small runways, and narrow holes—making them the bane of poultry owners.” > **[Weasel - Chicken Predators - How To Protect Your Chickens From Weasels](https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/weasel-chicken-predators-how-to-protect-your-chickens-from-weasels.47733/)** > > Weasel > > > General Information and Description > > Three species of weasels can be found in North America and Canada. The long tailed weasel, which is sometimes measure as long as 24 inches (61cm), the short-tailed weasel, which measures up to 13... Of course, the weasel thinks all of this is a great sport. I think you can see why there are two very different sides to the opinion. Their close cousins, the mongoose and ferret have much better PR firms representing them. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/11 "2015-05-05T02:20:11Z")
Weasels Ripped My Flesh!:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/12 "2015-05-05T03:17:04Z")
[Fiercest hunters around!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkq8tdwZtAA) 🙂 Weasels, like the fox, were one of those animals that in the Middle Ages were sort of both simultaneously sneakingly admired and sorta despised. Being sneaky and clever was a semi-positive trait at best and often a negative one in a culture time when a straightforward approach was considered more manly and honorable. And of course they had a reputation for bloodthirstiness ( not entirely undeserved, witness the video above ) due to the metabolic demands of their little bodies, which didn’t always go over well as a big plus. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/13 "2015-05-05T03:24:20Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Just to chance to throw out a bit of folk wisdom. > > Eagles may soar but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines. That needs to be on a Demotivator. > **[Underachievement](https://despair.com/collections/demotivators/products/underachievement-penguin)** > > Because soaring with the eagles requires so much more effort. There are people out there who do their best, work hard, and push their boundaries, not for praise or recognition, but for pride. We call those people “chumps.” PERFECT FOR: Chilly Willy... ---
**Author:** ![wisernow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@wisernow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wisernow)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/14 "2015-05-05T03:51:47Z")
[They fly!](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/03/150303-weasels-woodpeckers-animals-science-weaselpecker-photos/) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/15 "2015-05-05T04:08:04Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Weasels, like the fox, were one of those animals that in the Middle Ages were sort of both simultaneously sneakingly admired and sorta despised Lets see what the[ancient and medieval world](http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast150.htm) said about weasels: > [@](#): > > The weasel is a dirty animal that must not be eaten. It conceives at the mouth and gives birth through the ear (though some say it is the other way around). If the birth takes place through the right ear, the offspring will be male; if it is through the left ear, a female will be born. There are two types of weasel; one lives in the woods and the other in houses. Weasels chase mice and snakes. The cleverness of weasels is shown by the way they move their young from place to place. They are also skilled in medicine and can revive their young if they are killed. > > The weasel is the enemy of the basilisk and is the only animal that can kill one. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/16 "2015-05-05T04:14:30Z")
Have you ever met a ferret? (Yes, I know, according to the official scientific taxonomy they are not that closely related to weasels. But to a casual observer they are similar). ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/17 "2015-05-05T05:08:05Z")
Pound for pound, Wolverines are the strongest mammal. They can run a bear off his kill and a bear will not try steal a kill from a wolverine. Wolverines are the largest of the weasel family. IIRC Bad ass critters, don’t have any ‘back-up’ in them either. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/18 "2015-05-05T13:17:50Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > Have you ever met a ferret? > > (Yes, I know, according to the official scientific taxonomy they are not that closely related to weasels. But to a casual observer they are similar). 😕 They’re in the same family: [Mustelids](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustelidae). [Ferrets](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret)are the domesticated versions of [a particular member of the weasel family](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_polecat). \*Obligatory Futurama quote: \* FATHER 1: “Of course we are proud of you!” FATHER 2: “Damn right we are! Now come on. Let’s go do a little father-son weaseling out of this.” ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/19 "2015-05-05T13:29:34Z")
They are the **thugs** of the animal world. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277/20 "2015-05-05T13:48:08Z")
They are quite adept at escaping from pursuing monkeys. Especially when said pursuit happens around the workbench of a shoemaker. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-weasels-have-a-bad-reputation/719277.md?page=2)