What is a euphemism? A euphemism is a polite expression used in place of words or phrases that might otherwise be considered harsh or unpleasant. These phrases are used regularly, and there are many common phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en of euphemisms in everyday language. Which of the following euphemism phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en have you used or heard?
Watching: Euphemism in literature examples
young girl saying I”m not bossy I”m outspoken
phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en of Euphemisms
Euphemisms have many different uses. They can help you avoid being overly blunt and remain in a tone of politeness. People will generally understand the meaning of a euphemism, even though you”re not “coming right out with it.” With that in mind, let”s take a look at a few different categories of euphemisms.
Death and Dying
Does anyone really deal with death well? It”s such a delicate — and final — state that many of us like to dance around the truth. Here are some delicate ways to discuss death and dying.
passed away instead of diedpassed over to the other side instead of diedlate instead of deceaseddearly departed instead of deceasedresting in peace for deceasedno longer with us instead of deceased departed instead of diedpassed instead of diedgone to heaven instead of diedgone home instead of diednegative patient outcome instead of diedput to sleep instead of euthanizing a petgone over the rainbow bridge instead of died (for a pet)
States of Employment
Although it”s far less delicate than death, being unemployed is also difficult to discuss. It”s a direct blow to the ego, so many people like to approach this subject with a gentle touch, too.
letting someone go instead of firing an employeebetween jobs instead of unemployeddownsized instead of firedmy position was eliminated instead of I got fired taking an early retirement instead of losing one”s jobpursuing other opportunities instead of quitting or being fired left the company instead of quit, walked off the job or got firedembarking on a journey of self-discovery instead of joblessconsidering options instead of unable to find a job over-employed instead of in a job that is beyond one”s capabilities under-employed instead of in a job that is below a person”s career level
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Financial Euphemisms
Talking about money and financial circumstances is sometimes considered inappropriate. As a result, quite a few financial euphemisms exist in everyday conversation. They”re often used in conjunction with money slang words.
economical instead of cheapfrugal instead of cheapthrifty instead of cheapnegative cash flow instead of in debtupside-down instead of owing more on an asset than it is worthoutstanding payment instead of past-due bill likes to shop instead of chronic overspendingeconomically disadvantaged instead of poor or impoverishedfinancially fortunate instead of spoiled wealthy instead of rich well-off instead of richdeveloping country instead of a third-world or impoverished nation
Bodily Functions and Aging
To some people, bodily functions and age are topics to be glossed over rather than to be addressed directly. Will any of the following skirts around the truth soften the proverbial “blow?”
powder your nose instead of go to the toiletbreak wind instead of pass gas or fartvisit the ladies” room instead of go to the bathroom indisposed instead of in the bathroomtinkle for urinatenumber one for urinatenumber two for a bowel movementtime of the month instead of menstruatingsniffles instead of runny noseaging instead of getting oldgolden years instead of old age experienced instead of old seasoned instead of old
Characteristics, Attributes and Behaviors
When you were raised, you may have been told to avoid saying anything if you can”t find anything nice to say. With that in mind, it”s common for people to use euphemisms when describing less-than-flattering characteristics or attributes about a person or to describe behaviors that are less than desirable.
big-boned instead of largewell-fed instead of overweightcurvy instead of fat petite instead of shortunique instead of odd or weirdspecial instead of conforming with expectations late bloomer instead of being behind grade leveltruth-challenged instead of dishonestrunning a little behind instead of lateoverzealous instead of aggressive inquisitive instead of asking questions incessantly outspoken instead of bossy
Circumstances of Life
There are many circumstances of life, some of which are often described using euphemisms than being referred to in a direct manner. Explore a selection of euphemisms that describe a variety of situations.
in a family way instead of pregnantwith child instead of pregnantau natural instead of naked or nudeunder the weather instead of sick or illunavailable instead of not here otherwise occupied instead of busyotherwise engaged instead of doing something else highly strung instead of poorly behavedprecocious instead of badly behaved
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Sexual Activities
It”s hard to say if people really avoid “sex talk” these days. All you have to do is settle down for an epic TV marathon and you”ll be met with countless scenes pertaining to sex. However, some folks prefer to approach the subject with euphemistic bliss rather than direct discussion.
birds and the bees instead of how babies are madegoing all the way instead of having sexdoing it for having sexmaking whoopee instead of having sexsleeping with for having sex withsleeping around for cheating on one”s partner afternoon delight for daytime sexhanky panky for fooling around; could be “making out” or sex going to third base instead of sexual touching
Don”t Be So Literal
These are just some of the many euphemisms that you may encounter. Now that you”re familiar with the euphemism definition, you”ll probably notice them a lot in everyday conversation and in literature. The next time you or someone you”re speaking with says something that has a different meaning than the literal words, consider whether the statement is a euphemism for some other less polite, less pleasing word or phrase. If the substitute statement has a negative connotation rather than a polite, positive one, what you”re seeing is probably a dysphemism instead of a euphemism.
Do these phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en remind you of anything? Perhaps you”re thinking about idioms. Idioms are words or phrases that aren”t meant to be taken literally, like having “cold feet” instead of being nervous about something. Take a look at these idiom phebinhvanhoc.com.vn/en to see if you can spot the difference between euphemisms and idioms.
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