While we're on the subject of hanging loosely, what about liposuction? The word actually derives from a different Indo-European ancestor altogether, and its meaning remains confined to cosmetic surgery. But the word deserves a higher, figurative status relating to spoken language--perhaps having to do with the skillful extraction of unfortunate statements from the official record. ("Presidential spokesman Mike McCurry today sought to liposuck President Clinton's recent offhand remark to reporters about ...")