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Euphemism comes from the Greek word euphemia (εὐφημία) which refers to the use of 'words of good omen'; it is a compound of eû (εὖ), meaning 'good, well', and phḗmē (φήμη), meaning 'prophetic speech; rumour, talk'. [3] Eupheme is a reference to the female Greek spirit of words of praise and positivity, etc.
A euphemism is a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsher, blunter, or more offensive term.. It may also substitute a description of something or someone to avoid revealing secret, holy, or sacred names to the uninitiated, or to obscure the identity of the subject of a conversation from potential eavesdroppers.
Euphemism [17] Lay waste To kill slang Lights out To die Slang Going into Eternal Oblivion: Liquidation To be killed Euphemism Usually used in political context (such as purges), implies dehumanization. Live on a farm (upstate) To die Euphemism Usually referring to the death of a pet, especially if the owners are parents with children, i.e.
Minced oaths can also be formed by shortening: e.g., b for bloody or f for fuck. [3] Sometimes words borrowed from other languages become minced oaths; for example, poppycock comes from the Dutch pappe kak, meaning 'soft dung'. [6] The minced oath blank is an ironic reference to the dashes that are sometimes used to replace profanities in print ...
The first thought I had was that I should "spend more time with my family" -- before being reminded that when you normally hear this phrase, it's being used as the world's biggest euphemism. An ...
We in agriculture have a tradition of marketing our bounty by more pleasant names hoping less-informed eaters buy the sizzle rather than the fact.
The word karhu itself is a noa-name, to avoid using the original (and now relatively uncommon) words otso or ohto. (See Finnish mythology.) In Swedish, the word ulv ('wolf') was replaced by varg ('stranger'). [3] The spirits of the hearth, tomte (corresponding to the Scottish brownie, or the Cornish pixie), were known as nisse, 'dear little ...
Euphemisms should generally be avoided in favor of more neutral and precise terms. Died and had sex are neutral and accurate; passed away and made love are euphemisms. Some words and phrases that are proper in many contexts also have euphemistic senses that should be avoided: civilian casualties should not be masked as collateral damage.