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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.
It is used as a euphemism or circumlocution meaning a lie, an untruth, or a substantially correct but technically inaccurate statement. Churchill first used the phrase following the 1906 election . Speaking in the House of Commons on 22 February 1906 as Under-Secretary of the Colonial Office , he had occasion to repeat what he had said during ...
a thief in darkness, a glorious statement and its strong foundation. The thieving stranger was not a whit more wise that he swallowed those words. A moth ate words. I thought that was a marvelous fate, that the worm, a thief in the dark, should eat a man's words — a brilliant statement, its foundation strong.
A euphemism for dying or death: put a spoke in one's wheel To disrupt, foil, or cause problems to one's plan, activity, or project. [69] put on airs: An English language idiom and a colloquial phrase meant to describe a person who acts superior, or one who behaves as if they are more important than others. [70] put the cat among the pigeons
that “they” should manage our rights, the way we hire a professional to do our taxes; “they” should run the government, create policy, worry about whether democracy is up and running.
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.
Opposite of euphemism. Ekphrasis: lively describing something you see, often a painting. Epanorthosis: immediate and emphatic self-correction, often following a slip of the tongue. Euphemism: substitution of a less offensive or more agreeable term for another. Hyperbole: use of exaggerated terms for emphasis.
The precursor to the English Pronouncing Dictionary was A Phonetic Dictionary of the English Language by Hermann Michaelis and Daniel Jones, [3] [4] published in Germany in 1913. In this work, the headwords of the dictionary were listed in phonemic transcription, followed by their spelling form, so the user needed to be aware of the phonemic ...