The surliness with which the woodchopper speaks of his woods, handling them as indifferently as his axe, is better than the mealy-mouthed enthusiasm of the lover of nature. -- Thoreau.
disapproval If you say that someone is being mealy-mouthed, you are critical of them for being unwilling to speak in a simple or open way because they want to avoid talking directly about something unpleasant. He repeated that he did not intend to be mealy-mouthed with the country's leaders. not brave enough or honest enough to say clearly and directly what you really think - used in order to show disapproval