Note 119 – Examples of euphemisms

‘Kick the bucket’, ‘spend a penny’ and ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’ are all examples of euphemisms as they are words or phrases that people use to mask what they are trying to say.  Graham King in his unique book Collins Improve your Writing says that euphemisms “paint a thick veneer over clarity and understanding” and that people use them to “avoid making a statement that is direct, clear and honest”.

It might be that we use ephemisms in order to be less hurtful or offensive, such as ‘passed away’ instead of ‘died’ or ‘relieve oneself’ instead of….(I’ll let you fill that one in!). 

Euphemisms are all around us – in job descriptions, on the television and and you may even use them yourself if you happen to ask someone if they “got out of the wrong side of the bed”.  They can, however, make some jobs sound more exciting – wouldn’t you much rather be called a ‘Financial Advisor’ instead of an ‘Insurance Salesman’ or an ‘Office Manager’ rather than a ‘general dogsbody’?  

If you want more examples of euphemisms, do not fear – here are some websites with lists of them:

The Phrase Finder: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/euphemism.html

Euphemism List: http://www.euphemismlist.com/

My thoughts:  I must admit that I couldn’t even spell this word before today, but I’m quite looking forward to looking around for them in what I read from now on.   In my writing, I think I will try and say what I mean wherever possible and only use euphemisms with care.

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Until tomorrow…

Sandra

My writing challenge: http://wp.me/p1x6Ui-4

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Reference list:

Graham King The Collins Improve your Writing, UK

The Phrase Finder: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/euphemism.html

Euphemism List: http://www.euphemismlist.com/