Son avoiding sloshed chorister’s empty words (8)

I believe the answer is:

rhetoric

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'empty words' is the definition.
(synonyms)

I can't explain the rest of the clue.

(Other definitions for rhetoric that I've seen before include "Language used for its dramatic sound" , "Torchier kind of colourful language" , "Eloquent and persuasive language" , "Art of persuasive use of words" , "Bombast - speechcraft" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sun.

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