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Euphemism [17] 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. "The dog went to live on a ...
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.
garbage business: euphemism for organized crime. Golden Age: The days before RICO. Goodfella: A member of the Mafia. goomar or goomah: Americanized form of comare, a Mafia mistress. goombah: an associate, especially a senior member of a criminal gang. heavy: packed, carrying a weapon. hit: to murder; also see whack.
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 ...
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).
Alligator bait, ' gator bait: [4] [5] A racist slur used to describe black children and young people, comparing their worth to bait used to catch alligators; the term ' gator bait was banned from a common cheer in Florida due to its offensive meaning, and is generally no longer used. Ancient: An insulting term to refer to an older person or ...
57 Common Dreams and Their Meanings 1. Tidal Wave. A beach day gets interesting—and not in a good way—when a tidal wave comes racing toward you.