Wimping
Keith Johnstone, 1970s-present
Also known as Wimping Out, Waffling
Johnstone's term for adding nothing of substance: appearing to go along with a scene while quietly avoiding any real offer, a soft cousin of outright blocking.
Known for
- Distinct from blocking: a blocker denies what is offered, while a wimper accepts but contributes nothing, leaving the partner to do all the work.
- Reads on stage as vague niceness, hedging, or stalling, and produces scenes that tread water without advancing.
- Johnstone groups it with related self-protective faults such as cancelling (undoing what was just established) and gagging (going for the easy joke).
- The corrective is to accept and advance: make a concrete offer that changes the situation.
Connected to
People