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A euphemism (/ ˈ juː f ə m ɪ z əm / YOO-fə-miz-əm) is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. [1] Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes to downplay.
This is a list of words that have entered the English language from the Yiddish language, many of them by way of American English.There are differing approaches to the romanization of Yiddish orthography (which uses the Hebrew alphabet); thus, the spelling of some of the words in this list may be variable (for example, shlep is a variant of schlep, and shnozz, schnoz).
Shortened from English translation guardians of the peace. Gumshoe US, derogatory, slang for detectives, who allegedly wear soft-heeled shoes or Hush Puppy shoes so they can follow suspects without being noticed. [citation needed] Gura Latin American Spanish slang for police enforcement, derogatory. [31]
Euphuism is an elegant literary style that was briefly in fashion during the Elizabethan era. The euphuism style employed the frequent use of alliteration, antithesis, balance, and simile, with references to nature and mythological tales.
A male cat paying a "call" on a female cat, who then serves up kittens, insinuating that the "results" of children is predicated on a male "catcall". An innuendo is a hint, insinuation or intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature.
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
However, in British English, the word "fag" can be an inoffensive term used to refer to a cigarette, or, previously, a junior boy who serves a senior boy in a British public school. [7] Likewise, the word "fanny" when used in American English is a euphemism for one's buttocks, so benign that children use it.
Its literal meaning is "female genitalia", but it also encompasses other meanings such as "womb, origin, and source". [40] In some Indic literature, yoni means vagina, [ 40 ] [ 41 ] and other organs regarded as "divine symbol of sexual pleasure, the matrix of generation and the visible form of Shakti".