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__TOC__ USAGE When a phrase is used as a euphemism, it often becomes a metaphor whose literal meaning is dropped. Euphemisms may be used to hide unpleasant or disturbing ideas, even when the literal term for them is not necessarily offensive. This type of euphemism is used in Public Relations and Politics , where it is sometimes called Doublespeak . Sometimes, using euphemisms is equated to Politeness . There are also superstitious euphemisms, based (consciously or subconsciously) on the idea that words have the power to bring bad fortune (for example, not speaking the word "cancer"; see Etymology and Common Examples below) and religious euphemisms, based on the idea that some words are sacred, or that some words are spiritually imperiling ('' Taboo ''; see Etymology and Religious Euphemisms below). ETYMOLOGY The word euphemism comes from the Greek word ''euphemo'', meaning "auspicious/good/fortunate speech/kind" which in turn is derived from the Greek root-words ''eu'' (ευ), "good/well" + ''pheme'' (φήμη) "speech/speaking". The ''eupheme'' was originally a word or phrase used in place of a religious word or phrase that should not be spoken aloud; etymologically, the ''eupheme'' is the opposite of the '' Blaspheme '' (evil-speaking). The primary example of taboo words requiring the use of a euphemism are the unspeakable names for a deity, such as Persephone , Hecate , Nemesis or Yahweh .
In some Languages Of The Pacific , using the name of a deceased chief is taboo. Amongst Australian Aboriginal people, it was forbidden ever to use the name or image of the deceased, so that today the Australian Broadcasting Commission publishes an apology to indigenous people for using names or images of people who have recently died. Since people are often named after everyday things, this leads to the swift development of euphemisms. These languages have a very high rate of vocabulary change. (Dyen, Isidore, A. T. James & J. W. L. Cole. 1967. Language divergence and estimated word retention rate. Language 43/1: 150-171.) In a similar manner, classical Chinese texts were expected to avoid using characters contained within the name of the currently ruling emperor as a sign of respect. In these instances, the relevant ideographs were replaced by homophones. While this practice creates an additional wrinkle for anyone attempting to read or translate texts from the classical period, it does provide a fairly accurate means of dating the documents under consideration. THE “EUPHEMISM TREADMILL” Euphemisms often evolve over time into Taboo Word s themselves, through a process described by W.V.O. Quine , and more recently dubbed 'the ''euphemism treadmill''' by Steven Pinker . (''cf.'' Gresham's Law in Economics ). This is the well-known linguistic process known as Pejoration . Words originally intended as euphemisms may lose their euphemistic value, acquiring the negative connotations of their referents. In some cases, they may be used mockingly and become Dysphemism s. For example, the term “ Concentration Camp ,” to describe camps used to house civilian prisoners, was used by the British during the Second Boer War , primarily because it sounded bland and inoffensive. However, after the Third Reich used the expression to describe its Death Camp s, the term gained enormous negative connotation. Since then, new terms have been invented as euphemisms for them, such as Internment Camps , resettlement camps, etc. Also, in some versions of English, ''toilet room'', itself a euphemism, was replaced with ''bathroom'' and ''water closet'', which were replaced (respectively) with ''restroom'' and ''W.C.'' These are also examples of euphemisms which are geographically concentrated: the term "restroom" is rarely used outside of the U.S.A. and "W.C.", where before it was quite popular in Britain is passing out of favour and becoming more popular in France . Connotations easily change over time. '' Idiot '', '' Imbecile '', and '' Moron '' were once neutral terms for a person of Toddler , Preschool , and Primary School Mental Age s, respectively. As with Gresham's Law , negative connotations tend to crowd out neutral ones, so the word Mentally Retarded was pressed into service to replace them. ''American Heritage Dictionary'' definition of "retarded" via answers.com Now that too is considered rude, used commonly as an insult of a person, thing, or idea. As a result, new terms like ''developmentally disabled'', ''mentally challenged'' and ''special'' have replaced ''retarded''. A similar progression occurred with :'' → Disabled → differently abled although in that case the meaning has also broadened (and hence has been narrowed with adjectives, which themselves have been euphemised); a dyslexic or colorblind person would not be termed ''crippled''. In the early 1960s, Bill Veeck , who was missing part of a leg, argued against the then-favored euphemism "handicapped", saying he preferred "crippled" because it was merely descriptive and did not carry connotations of limiting one's capability the way "handicapped" (and all of its subsequent euphemisms) seemed to do. George Carlin gave a famous monologue of how he thought euphemisms can undermine appropriate attitudes towards serious issues such as the evolving terms describing the medical problem of the cumulative mental trauma of soldiers in high stress situations: Shell Shock ( World War I ) → Battle Fatigue ( World War II )→ Operational Exhaustion ( Korean War ) → Post-traumatic Stress Disorder ( Vietnam War ) He contended that, as the name of the condition became more complicated and seemingly , sufferers of this condition have been taken less seriously as people with a serious illness, and were given poorer treatment as a result. In the same routine, he echoed Bill Veeck's opinion that "crippled" was a perfectly valid term (and noted that early English translations of The Bible seemed to have no qualms about saying that Jesus "healed the cripples"). A complementary " Dysphemism Treadmill " exists, but is more rarely observed. One modern example is the word " Sucks ". "That sucks" began as American slang for "that is very unpleasant", and is shorthand for "that sucks cock", referring to Fellatio ; along with the exactly synonymous phrase "that blows", it developed over the late- 20th Century from being an extremely vulgar phrase to near-acceptability. Likewise, ''scumbag'', which was originally a reference to a used Condom , now is a fairly mild Epithet . Random House.com CLASSIFICATION OF EUPHEMISMS Many euphemisms fall into one or more of these categories:
There is some disagreement over whether certain terms are or are not euphemisms. For example, sometimes the phrase ''visually impaired'' is labeled as a Politically Correct euphemism for '' Blind ''. However, visual impairment can be a broader term, including, for example, people who have partial sight in one eye, a group that would be excluded by the word ''blind''. There are three '', '' Cacophemism '', and '' Power Word ''. The first can be either offensive or merely humorously deprecating with the second one generally used more often in the sense of something deliberately offensive. The last is used mainly in arguments to make a point seem more correct. THE EVOLUTION OF EUPHEMISMS Euphemisms may be formed in a number of ways. '' Periphrasis '' or '' Circumlocution '' is one of the most common—to “speak around” a given word, Implying it without saying it. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas. To alter the pronunciation or spelling of a Taboo word (such as a Swear Word ) to form a euphemism is known as ''taboo deformation''. There are an astonishing number of taboo deformations in English, of which many refer to the infamous Four-letter Word s. In American English , words which are unacceptable on television, such as '' Fuck '', may be represented by deformations such as ''freak'' — even in children's cartoons. Some examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang may serve the same purpose—to call a person a ''berk'' sounds less offensive than to call him a '' Cunt '', though ''berk'' is short for '' Berkeley Hunt '' which rhymes with ''cunt''. Bureaucracies such as the Military and large Corporation s frequently spawn euphemisms of a more deliberate (and to some, more sinister) nature. Organizations coin '' Doublespeak '' expressions to describe objectionable actions in terms that seem neutral or inoffensive. For example, a term used in the past for contamination by radioactive isotopes is ''Sunshine Units'' . Military organizations kill people, sometimes deliberately and sometimes by mistake; in doublespeak, the first may be called ''neutralizing the target'' and the second '' Collateral Damage ''. Violent destruction of non-state enemies may be referred to as '' Pacification ''. Two common terms when a Soldier is accidentally killed (''buys the farm'') by their own side are '' Friendly Fire '' or ''blue on blue'' (''BOBbing'') - “buy the farm” has its own interesting history. Snopes.com '' Execution '' is an established euphemism referring to the act of putting a person to death, with or without judicial process. It originally referred to the execution, i.e. the carrying out, of a Death Warrant , which is an authorization to a sheriff, prison warden, or other official to Put A Named Person To Death . In legal usage, ''execution'' can still refer to the carrying out of other types of orders; for example, in U.S. legal usage, a Writ Of Execution is a direction to enforce a Civil Money Judgment by seizing property. Likewise, Lethal Injection itself may be considered a euphemism for putting the convict to death by Poison ing. Industrial unpleasantness such as Pollution may be toned down to '' Outgassing '' or '' Runoff '' — descriptions of physical processes rather than their damaging consequences. Some of this may simply be the application of precise technical terminology in the place of popular usage, but beyond precision, the advantage of technical terminology may be its lack of emotional undertones and the likelihood the general public (at least initially) will not recognize it for what it really is; the disadvantage being the lack of Real-life context. "Runoff" can, in addition to industrial activities, also pertain to Agriculture , specifically Pesticide s (in particular Herbicide s and Insecticide s, with obvious negatives) and Fertilizer s. Typically the movement of these chemicals is tied to heavy rainfall. While fertilizers might seem harmless, and an adjacent farm receiving them might even benefit, upon arriving at nearby Stream s and Lake s, they cause numerous undesirable effects for Aquatic plant and animal life. EUPHEMISMS FOR THE PROFANE Profane words and expressions in the English language are often taken from three areas: Religion , Excretion , and Sex . While Profanities themselves have been around for centuries, their limited use in public and by the Media has only slowly become socially acceptable, and there are still many expressions which cannot be used in polite conversation. One vantage point into the current societal tolerance of profane language is found in the frequency of such language on Prime-time Television . The word ''damn'' (and most other religious profanity in the English language) has lost its shock value, and as a consequence, euphemisms for it (e.g. dang, darn-it) have taken on a very stodgy feeling. Excretory profanity such as '' Piss '' and '' Shit '' in some cases may be acceptable among informal (and usually younger) friends (while they almost never acceptable in formal relationships or public use); euphemisms such as ''Number One'' and ''Number Two'' may be preferred for use with children. Most sexual terms and expressions, even technical ones, either remain unacceptable for general use or have undergone radical rehabilitation. Religious euphemisms See Also: Minced oaths Euphemisms for God and Jesus are used by Christians to avoid taking the name of God in a vain oath, which would violate one of the Ten Commandments . When praying, Jews will typically use the word "Adonai" ('my master'). However, when in a colloquial setting, this is deemed inappropriate, and so typically one replaces the word "Adonai" with the word "HaShem," which literally means, "The Name." It is notable that "Adonai" is itself a word that refers to the Jewish God's name, Jehovah , but is not the name itself. Traditionally, Jews have seen the name of God as Ineffable and thus one that must not be spoken. According to the Torah , the when Moses saw the Burning Bush , he asked God, "who are you?" The answer he heard was, "I am that I am." Thus, the Jews have for centuries recognized the name of the Almighty as ineffable, because pronouncing it is equivalent to calling oneself God. Euphemisms for Hell , Damnation , and the Devil , on the other hand, are often used to avoid invoking the power of the adversary. For example, in '' Harry Potter '', the demonic Lord Voldemort is usually referred to as "he who must not be named". Excretory euphemisms While '' Urinate '' and '' Defecate '' are not euphemisms, they are used almost exclusively in a clinical sense. The basic Anglo-Saxon words for these functions, ''piss'' (piss is not Anglo-Saxon; it comes from French) and ''shit'', are considered vulgarities and unacceptable in general use, despite the use of ''piss'' in the King James Bible (in Isaiah 36:12 and elsewhere). The word '' Manure '', referring to animal feces used as Fertilizer for plants, literally means "worked with the hands," alluding to the mixing of manure with earth. Several Zoo s market the byproduct of Elephants and other large Herbivores as ''Zoo Doo'' or ''Zoopoop'', and there is a brand of Chicken manure available in garden stores under the name ''Cock-a-Doodle Doo''. Similarly, the abbreviation ''BS'', or the word ''bull'', often replaces the word '' Bullshit '' in polite society. (The term '' Bullshit '' itself generally means lies or nonsense, and not the literal "shit of a bull", making it a Dysphemism .) There are any number of lengthier Periphrases for excretion used to excuse oneself from company, such as to ''powder one’s nose'', to '' See A Man About A Horse '' (or ''dog'') or to ''drop the kids off at the pool'' (this latter expression could actually be regarded as a dysphemism). Slang expressions which are neither particularly euphemistic nor Dysphemistic , such as ''take a leak'', form a separate category. Sexual euphemisms The Latin term ''pudendum'' and the Greek term ''αιδοίον'' (''aidoion'') for the genitals literally mean "shameful thing". ''Groin'' and ''crotch'' refer to a larger region of the body, but are euphemistic when used to refer to the genitals. Euphemisms are more common in reference to sexual practices or orientations, particularly non-heterosexual ones. For example in the movie "Closer" the character played by Jude Law uses the euphemism "He valued his privacy" meaning ''gay'' and "He enjoyed his privacy" for ''raging queen'' which by itself would also be an euphemism and a joke. Virtually all other Sexual Terms are still considered profane and unacceptable for use even in a euphemistic sense. Euphemisms referring to profanity itself In the Spanish Language , words that mean "swear word" are used as exclamations in lieu of an actual swear word. The Spanish word ''maldición'', literally meaning "bad word", is occasionally used as an interjection of lament or anger, to replace any of several Spanish profanities that would otherwise be used in that same context. EUPHEMISMS FOR DEATH The English language contains numerous euphemisms related to dying, Death , Burial , and the people and places which deal with death. The practice of using euphemisms for death is likely to have originated with the " Magical belief that to speak the word "death" was to invite death; where to "draw Death's attention" is the ultimate bad fortune—a common theory holds that death is a taboo subject in most English-speaking cultures for precisely this reason. It may be said that one is not dying, but ''fading quickly'' because ''the end is near''. People who have died are referred to as having ''passed away'' or ''passed'' or ''departed''. ''Deceased'' is a euphemism for "dead," and sometimes the ''deceased'' is said to have ''gone to a better place'', but this is used primarily among the religious with a concept of Heaven . Christians often use phrases such as ''gone to be with the Lord'' or ''called to higher service'' (this latter expression being particularly prevalent in the Salvation Army ) to express their belief that physical death is not the end. There are many euphemisms for the dead body, some polite and some profane, as well as Dysphemism s such as ''worm food'', or ''dead meat''. The corpse was once referred to as ''the shroud (or house or tenement) of clay'', and modern funerary workers use terms such as ''the loved one'' (title of a Novel about Hollywood Undertaker s by Evelyn Waugh ) or ''the dear departed''. (They themselves have given up the euphemism ''funeral director'' for ''grief therapist'', and hold ''arrangement conferences'' with relatives.) Among themselves, mortuary technicians often refer to the corpse as the ''client''. A recently dead person may be referred to as "the late John Doe ." The terms ''cemetery'' for "graveyard" and ''undertaking'' for "burial" are so well-established that most people do not even recognize them as euphemisms. In fact, undertaking has taken on a negative connotation, as Undertakers have a devious reputation Contemporary euphemisms and dysphemisms for death tend to be quite colorful, and someone who has died is said to have ''passed away'', ''passed on'', ''checked out'', ''bit the big one'', ''kicked the bucket'', ''bitten the dust'', ''popped their clogs'', ''bought the farm'', ''cashed in their chips'', ''croaked'', ''given up the ghost'' (originally a more respectful term, cf. the death of ), ''gone south'', ''shuffled off this mortal coil'' (from William Shakespeare 's '' Hamlet ''), or ''assumed room temperature''. When buried, they may be said to be ''pushing up daisies'' or ''sleeping the big sleep'' or ''taking a dirt nap'' or ''six feet under''. There are hundreds of such expressions in use. (Old Burma-Shave jingle: "If daisies are your favorite flower, keep pushin’ up those miles per hour!") In Edwin Muir's 'The Horses' a euphemism is used to show the elimination of the human race 'The seven days war that put the world to sleep.' " Euthanasia " also attracts euphemisms. One may ''put one out of one’s misery'', ''put one to sleep'', or ''have one put down'', the latter two phrases being used primarily with non-humans. There are a few euphemisms for killing which are neither respectful nor playful, but rather clinical and detached. Some examples of this type are ''terminate'', ''wet work'', to ''take care of'' one or to ''take them for a ride'', to ''do them in'', to ''off'', ''frag'', ''smoke'', ''lace'', ''whack'' or ''waste'' someone. To ''cut loose'' (from U.S. Sgt. Massey's account of activities during the American occupation of Iraq) or ''open up'' on someone, means "to shoot at with every available weapon." To ''terminate with {Link without Title} prejudice'' originally meant to end one's employment without possibility of rehire (as opposed to ''lay off'', where the person can expect rehire if business picks up), but now the term usually means kill. Often (though not always) an adjective is added for emphasis. In the movie '' Apocalypse Now '', Captain Willard is told to terminate Colonel Kurtz’s commission "with extreme prejudice." The '', where Bezenchuk, the undertaker, astonishes Vorobyaninov with his classification of people by the euphemisms used to speak of their deaths. The game Dungeon Siege contains many euphemisms for death as well. Also a scene in the film Patch Adams features Patch (Robin Williams) dressed in an angel costume, reading out various synonyms and euphemisms for the phrase "to die" to a man dying of cancer. This evolves into a contest between the two men to see who can come up with more, and better, euphemisms, ending when Patch comes up with "and if we bury you ass up, we'll have a place to park my bike." EUPHEMISMS IN JOB TITLES Today, euphemisms are becoming increasingly popular in job titles, and now many normal jobs have complicated titles that make the jobs sound more important, or skilled, than the common names would imply. Many of these euphemisms may include words such as engineer, though in fact the people who do the job are not accredited in engineering (and in many jurisdictions it is technically illegal to use the term without a currently valid State certification, though widely unenforced). Extreme cases, such as sanitation engineer for janitor are cited humorously more often than they are used seriously. Less extreme cases, such as custodian for janitor, are considered more terms of respect than euphemisms. These euphemisms can include, but are by no means limited to:
DOUBLESPEAK See Also: Doublespeak Doublespeak is language deliberately constructed to disguise or distort its actual Meaning , often resulting in a Communication Bypass . What distinguishes doublespeak from other euphemisms is its deliberate usage. Doublespeak may be in the form of bald euphemisms such as "downsizing" for "firing of many employees"; or deliberately ambiguous phrases such as "wet work" for "assassination" and "take out" for "destroy". COMMON EXAMPLES Other common euphemisms include:
These lists might suggest that most euphemisms are well-known expressions. Often euphemisms can be somewhat situational; what might be used as a euphemism in a conversation between two friends might make no sense to a third person. In this case, the euphemism is being used as a type of Innuendo . The media translations of the Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány 's controversial Speech that triggered the 2006 Anti-government Protests use euphemisms like "screwed up", "did not bother" instead of the more Vulgar phrases. The word euphemism itself can be used as a euphemism. In the animated short ''It's Grinch Night'' (See Dr. Seuss ), a child asks to go to the ''euphemism'', where ''euphemism'' is being used as a euphemism for '' Outhouse ''. This euphemistic use of "euphemism" also occurred in the play '' Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? '' where a character requests, "Martha, will you show her where we keep the, uh, euphemism?" It is analogous to the 18th-century use of ''unmentionables'' for ''underpants''. SEE ALSO
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