INTRODUCTION
The euphemismis a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of onethat may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener,[1]or to make it less troublesome for the speaker, as in the case of doublespeak.The deployment of euphemisms is a central aspect within the public applicationof political correctness.
It may alsosubstitute a description of something or someone to avoid revealing secret,holy, or sacred names to the uninitiated, or to obscure the identity of thesubject of a conversation from potential eavesdroppers. Some euphemisms areintended to amuse.
CHAPTER 1. THE HISTORY OF EUPHEMISMS
1.1 Etymology
The word euphemismcomes from the Greek word euphemo, meaning «auspicious/good/fortunatespeech/kind» which in turn is derived from the Greek root-words eu (ευ), «good/well» + pheme (φήμη)«speech/speaking». The eupheme was originally a word or phrase usedin place of a religious word or phrase that should not be spoken aloud;etymologically, the eupheme is the opposite of the blaspheme (evil-speaking).The primary example of taboo words requiring the use of a euphemism are theunspeakable names for a deity, such as Persephone, Hecate, or Nemesis.Euphemism was itself used as a euphemism by the ancient Greeks, meaning 'tokeep a holy silence' (speaking well by not speaking at all).
Historicallinguistics has revealed traces of taboo deformations in many languages.Several are known to have occurred in Indo-European languages, including theoriginal Proto-Indo-European words for bear (*rtkos), wolf (*wlkwos),and deer (originally, hart; the deformation likely occurred to avoid confusionwith heart). In different Indo-European languages, each of these words has adifficult etymology because of taboo deformations — a euphemism was substitutedfor the original, which no longer occurs in the language. An example is theSlavic root for bear — *medu-ed-, which means «honey eater». Oneexample in English is «donkey» replacing the oldIndo-European-derived word «ass». The word «dandelion»(lit., tooth of lion, referring to the shape of the leaves) is another example,being a substitute for pissenlit, meaning «wet the bed», a possiblereference to the fact that dandelion was used as a diuretic.
In some languagesof the Pacific, using the name of a deceased chief is taboo. Among indigenousAustralians, it is forbidden to use the name, image, or audio-visual recordingof the deceased, so that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation now publishesa warning to indigenous Australians when using names, images or audio-visualrecordings of people who have died.[2]
Since peopleare often named after everyday things, this leads to the swift development ofeuphemisms. These languages have a very high rate of vocabulary change.[3]
In a similarmanner, classical Chinese texts were expected to avoid using characterscontained within the name of the currently ruling emperor as a sign of respect.In these instances, the relevant ideographs were replaced by synonyms. Whilethis practice creates an additional wrinkle for anyone attempting to read ortranslate texts from the classical period, it does provide a fairly accuratemeans of dating the documents under consideration.
The commonnames of illicit drugs, and the plants used to obtain them, often undergo aprocess similar to taboo deformation, because new terms are devised in order todiscuss them secretly in the presence of others. This process often occurs inEnglish (e.g. speed or crank for meth). It occurs even more in Spanish, e.g.the deformation of names for cannabis: mota (lit., «something whichmoves» on the black market), replacing grifa (lit., «something coarseto the touch»), replacing marihuana (a female personal name, MaríaJuana), replacing cañamo (the original Spanish name for the plant,derived from the Latin genus name Cannabis). All four of these names are stillused in various parts of the Hispanophone world, although cañamoironically has the least underworld connotation, and is often used to describe industrialhemp, or legitimate medically-prescribed cannabis.
1.2 History ofeuphemisms in English
A great numberof euphemisms in English came from words with Latin roots. Farb (1974) writesthat after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066: «the community began tomake a distinction between a genteel and an obscene vocabulary, between theLatinate words of the upper class and the lusty Anglo-Saxon of the lower. Thatis why a duchess perspired and expectorated and menstruated--while a kitchenmaid sweated and spat and bled.»
In the«good 'old' (read over the hill, chronologically-gifted) days» of theEnglish language, there was a dazzling amount of delightful doubletalk not tomention a smattering of simply hilarious handles as seen below:
«brandy»-- referred to as «French Cream» by time-enhanced tabbies and dowagerduchesses who added it to their tea (scandal broth)
«breeches»-- bumfiddles, galligaskins, inexpressibles
«brewer»-- Brother of the Bung
«constable»-- bus-napper
«coachman»-- Brother of the Whip
«dealerin fruit» — costard monger
«eggs»-- cackling farts
«footboy» — catch fart
«footman»-- bone picker
«fiddler»-- gut scraper or tormentor of cat gut
«indigent»-- Gentleman of Three Outs, i.e. without money, without wit, and withoutmanners
«match-maker»-- buttock broker
«parson»-- autem bawler who conducts his affairs in an «autem cacle tub»(church meeting hall)
«pimp»-- Brother of the Gusset
«roundaboutstory or way» — circumbendibus
«salesman'sshop» — Bow-Wow Shop (because the servant barks and the master bites)
«SargeantAt Arms» — Brother of the Coif
«schoolmaster»-- bum brusher
«shoe-making»-- the art of gentle craft
«tea»-- cat lap, scandal broth
«undertaker»-- embalming surgeon
«upholsterer»-- bug-hunter
«wife»-- comfortable importance
1.3 Euphemism treadmill
Euphemismsoften evolve over time into taboo words themselves, through a process describedby W.V.O. Quine, and more recently dubbed the «euphemism treadmill»by Steven Pinker. (cf. Gresham's Law in economics). This is the well-knownlinguistic process known as 'pejoration' or 'semantic change'.
Wordsoriginally intended as euphemisms may lose their euphemistic value, acquiringthe negative connotations of their referents. In some cases, they may be usedmockingly and become dysphemisms.
For example,the term «concentration camp», to describe camps used to confinecivilian members of the Boer community in close (concentrated) quarters, wasused by the British during the Second Boer War, primarily because it soundedbland and inoffensive. Despite the high death rates in the Britishconcentration camps, the term remained acceptable as a euphemism. However,after the Third Reich used the expression to describe its death camps, the termgained enormous negative connotation.
Also, in someversions of English, «toilet room», itself a euphemism, was replacedwith «bathroom» and «water closet», which were replacedwith «restroom» and «W.C.» These are also examples ofeuphemisms which are geographically concentrated: the term «restroom»is rarely used outside of the United States and «W.C.», where beforeit was quite popular in Britain, is passing out of favor and becoming morepopular in France and is the polite term of choice in Germany.
Connotationseasily change over time. «Idiot», «imbecile», and «moron»were once neutral terms for a developmentally delayed adult of toddler, preschool,and primary school mental ages, respectively.[4] As with Gresham'slaw, negative connotations tend to crowd out neutral ones, so the phrase mentallyretarded was pressed into service to replace them.[5] Now that, too,is considered rude, used commonly as an insult of a person, thing, or idea. Asa result, new terms like «mentally challenged», «with anintellectual disability», «learning difficulties» and«special needs» have replaced «retarded». A similarprogression occurred with:
lame → crippled→ handicapped → disabled → physically challenged →differently abled
although inthe case of «crippled» the meaning has also broadened (and hence hasbeen narrowed with adjectives, which themselves have been euphemised); adyslexic or colorblind person, for example, would not be termed«crippled». Even more recent is the use of person-centric phrases,such as «person(s) with disability, dyslexia, colorblindness, etc.»,which ascribe a particular condition to those previously qualified with theaforementioned adjectives.
Euphemisms canalso serve to recirculate words that have passed out of use because of negativeconnotation. The word «lame» from above, having faded from thevernacular, was revitalized as a slang word generally meaning «not livingup to expectations». Connotation of a euphemism can also besubject-specific. The term «handicap» was in common use to describe aphysical disability; it gained common use in sports and games to describe ascoring advantage given to a player who has a disadvantageous standing inability, and this definition has remained common, even though the term asdescribing physical disability has mostly faded from common use. One exceptionto this is in the United States when designating «handicapped»parking spaces for such individuals.
In the early1960s, Major League Baseball franchise owner and promoter Bill Veeck, who wasmissing part of a leg, argued against the then-favored euphemism«handicapped», saying he preferred «crippled» because itwas merely descriptive and did not carry connotations of limiting one'scapability the way «handicapped» (and all of its subsequenteuphemisms) seemed to do (Veeck as in Wreck, chapter «I'm Not Handicapped,I'm Crippled»). Later, comedian George Carlin gave a famous monologue ofhow he thought euphemisms can undermine appropriate attitudes towards seriousissues such as the evolving terms describing the medical problem of thecumulative mental trauma of soldiers in high stress situations:[6]
shell shock(World War I) → battle fatigue (World War II) → operationalexhaustion (Korean War) → posttraumatic stress disorder (Vietnam War)
He contendedthat, as the name of the condition became more complicated and seemingly arcane,sufferers of this condition have been taken less seriously as people with aserious illness, and were given poorer treatment as a result. He also contendedthat Vietnam veterans would have received the proper care and attention theyneeded were the condition still called «shell shock». In the sameroutine, he echoed Bill Veeck's opinion that «crippled» was a perfectlyvalid term (and noted that early English translations of the Bible seemed tohave no qualms about saying that Jesus «healed the cripples»).
Acomplementary «dysphemism treadmill» exists, but is more rarelyobserved. One modern example is the word scumbag, which was originally areference to a used condom, now is a fairly mild epithet.[7] This isin stark contrast to the related term douchebag, which is still semi-common buthas a much more negative connotation.[citation needed]
Similarly, spasticwas once a neutral descriptor of a sufferer of muscular hypertonicity in BritishEnglish. But after Joey Deacon appeared on UK children's TV programme BluePeter, children began to use «spastic» (and variants such as«spaz» and «spacker») as an insult and the term is now seenas very offensive. The Spastics Society changed their name to Scope in 1994;children then began to use «Scoper» as a similar insult. While theterm was developing into an insult in British English, it was evolving in aradically different fashion in American English. In the U.S., «spastic» became a nonoffensive synonym for clumsiness, whether physical or mental,and nerdiness, and is very often used in a self-deprecating manner. Thedifference between the British and American connotations of «spastic»was starkly shown in 2006 when golf great Tiger Woods used «spaz» todescribe his putting in that year's Masters. The remark went completelyunnoticed in America, but caused a major uproar in the UK.
In his remarkson the ever-changing London slang, made in Down and Out in Paris and London, GeorgeOrwell mentioned both the euphemism treadmill and the dysphemism treadmill. Hedid not use these now-established terms, but observed and commented on therespective processes as early as in 1933.
CHAPTER 2. THEEUPHEMISM: ITS USAGE, CLASSIFICATION AND OTHER PECULIARITIES
2.1 Usage of euphemisms
When a phraseis used as a euphemism, it often becomes a metaphor whose literal meaning isdropped. Euphemisms may be used to hide unpleasant or disturbing ideas, evenwhen the literal term for them is not necessarily offensive. This type ofeuphemism is used in public relations and politics, where it is sometimescalled doublespeak. Sometimes, using euphemisms is equated to politeness. Thereare also superstitious euphemisms, based (consciously or subconsciously) on theidea that words have the power to bring bad fortune (for example, not speakingthe word «autism»; see etymology and common examples below), andthere are religious euphemisms, based on the idea that some words are holy, orthat some words are spiritually imperiling (taboo; see etymology).
2.2 Classification
Many euphemismsfall into one or more of these categories:
· Termsof foreign and/or technical origin (derrière, copulation, perspire, urinate,security breach, mierda de toro, prophylactic, feces occur, sheißt)
· Abbreviations(GD for goddamn, SOB for son of a bitch, BS for bullshit, TS for tough shit, SOLfor shit out of luck or PDQ for pretty damn(ed) quick,[8] BFD for bigfucking deal, «MOFO for „motherfucker“, POS for piece of shit, STFUor STHU for shut the fuck/hell up, RTFM for read the fucking manual /restartthe fucking machine)
o Abbreviationsusing a spelling alphabet, especially in military contexts (Charlie Foxtrot for»Cluster fuck", Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Oscar for «What the fuck,over?», Bravo Sierra for «bullshit» — See Military slang)
o Playson abbreviations (H-e-double hockey sticks for «hell», «a-doublesnakes» or «a-double-dollar-signs» for «ass», SugarHoney Iced Tea for «shit», bee with an itch or witch with a capital Bfor «bitch», catch (or see) you next Tuesday (or Thursday) for«cunt»)
o Use inmostly clinical settings (PITA for «pain in the ass» patient)
o Abbreviationsfor phrases that are not otherwise common (PEBKAC for «Problem ExistsBetween Keyboard And Chair», ID Ten T Error or ID-10T Error for«Idiot», TOBAS for «Take Out Back And Shoot», SNAFU for«Situation Normal: All Fucked Up»)
· Abstractionsand ambiguities (it for excrement, the situation for pregnancy, going to theother side for death, do it or come together in reference a sexual act, tiredand emotional for drunkenness.)
· Indirections(behind, unmentionables, privates, live together, go to the bathroom, sleeptogether, sub-navel activities)
· Mispronunciation(goldarnit, dadgummit, efing c (fucking cunt), freakin, be-atch,shoot — See mincedoath)
· Litotesor reserved understatement (not exactly thin for «fat», notcompletely truthful for «lied», not unlike cheating for «aninstance of cheating»)
· Changingnouns to modifiers (makes her look slutty for «is a slut», right-wingelement for «Right Wing»)
· Names,like John Thomas or Willy for penis, Fanny for vulva (british), etc.
· Slang,eg. pot for marijuana, laid for sex and so on
There is somedisagreement over whether certain terms are or are not euphemisms. For example,sometimes the phrase visually impaired is labeled as a politically correcteuphemism for blind. However, visual impairment can be a broader term,including, for example, people who have partial sight in one eye, or even thosewith uncorrected poor vision, a group that would be excluded by the word blind.
There arethree antonyms of euphemism: dysphemism, cacophemism, and power word. The firstcan be either offensive or merely humorously deprecating with the second onegenerally used more often in the sense of something deliberately offensive. Thelast is used mainly in arguments to make a point seem more correct.
2.3 The evolution of euphemisms
Euphemisms maybe formed in a number of ways. Periphrasis or circumlocution is one of the mostcommon — to «speak around» a given word, implying it without sayingit. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms forparticular words or ideas.
To alter thepronunciation or spelling of a taboo word (such as a swear word) to form aeuphemism is known as taboo deformation. There is an astonishing number oftaboo deformations in English, of which many refer to the infamous four-letterwords. In American English, words which are unacceptable on television, such asfuck, may be represented by deformations such as freak — even in children'scartoons. Some examples of rhyming slang may serve the same purpose — to call aperson a berk sounds less offensive than to call him a cunt, though berk isshort for Berkeley Hunt which rhymes with cunt.
Bureaucraciessuch as the military and large corporations frequently spawn euphemisms of amore deliberate nature. Organizations coin doublespeak expressions to describeobjectionable actions in terms that seem neutral or inoffensive. For example, aterm used in the past for contamination by radioactive isotopes is Sunshineunits.[9]
Militaryorganizations kill people, sometimes deliberately and sometimes by mistake; indoublespeak, the first may be called neutralizing the target and the second collateraldamage. Violent destruction of non-state enemies may be referred to as pacification.Two common terms when a soldier is accidentally killed (buys the farm) by theirown side are friendly fire or blue on blue (BOBbing) — «buy the farm»has its own interesting history.[10]
Execution is an establishedeuphemism referring to the act of putting a person to death, with or without judicialprocess. It originally referred to the execution, i.e., the carrying out, of a deathwarrant, which is an authorization to a sheriff, prison warden, or otherofficial to put a named person to death. In legal usage, execution can stillrefer to the carrying out of other types of orders; for example, in U.S. legalusage, a writ of execution is a direction to enforce a civil money judgment byseizing property. Likewise, lethal injection itself may be considered aeuphemism for putting the convict to death by poisoning.
Abortion originally meant prematurebirth, and came to mean birth before viability. The term «abort» wasextended to mean any kind of premature ending, such as aborting the launch of arocket. Euphemisms have developed around the original meaning. Abortion, byitself, came to mean induced abortion or elective abortion exclusively. Hencethe parallel term spontaneous abortion, an «act of nature», wasdropped in favor of the more neutral-sounding miscarriage.
Industrialunpleasantness such as pollution may be toned down to outgassing or runoff —descriptions of physical processes rather than their damaging consequences.Some of this may simply be the application of precise technical terminology inthe place of popular usage, but beyond precision, the advantage of technicalterminology may be its lack of emotional undertones and the likelihood thegeneral public (at least initially) will not recognize it for what it reallyis; the disadvantage being the lack of real-life context. Terms like«waste» and «wastewater» are also avoided in favor of termssuch as byproduct, recycling, reclaimed water and effluent. In the oil industry,oil-based drilling muds were simply renamed organic phase drilling muds, where organicphase is a euphemism for «oil».
CHAPTER 3. THEDIVISION OF THE EUPHEMISMS ACCORDING TO THEIR MEANING
3.1 Euphemisms for the profane
Profane wordsand expressions in the English language are commonly taken from three areas: religion,excretion, and sex. While profanities themselves have been around forcenturies, their limited use in public and by the media has only slowly becomesocially acceptable, and there are still many expressions which cannot be usedin polite conversation. One vantage point into the current societal toleranceof profane language is found in the frequency of such language on prime-timetelevision. The word damn (and most other religious profanity in the Englishlanguage) has lost its shock value, and as a consequence, euphemisms for it(e.g., dang, darn-it) have taken on a very stodgy feeling. Euphemisms for malemasturbation such as «bashing the bishop», «waxing the dolphin»,«slamming the ham» or «banging one out» are used oftenamong young people (or youths) to avoid embarrassment in public. Excretoryprofanity such as piss and shit in some cases may be acceptable among informal(and usually younger)[citation needed] friends (while they almostare never acceptable in formal relationships or public use); euphemisms such asNumber One and Number Two may be preferred for use with children. Most sexualterms and expressions, even technical ones, either remain unacceptable forgeneral use or have undergone radical rehabilitation.
· Religious euphemisms
Euphemisms fordeities as well as for religious practices and artifacts date to the earliestof written records. Protection of sacred names, rituals, and concepts from theuninitiated has always given rise to euphemisms, whether it be for exclusion ofoutsiders or the retention of power among select practitioners. Examples fromthe Egyptians and every other western religion abound.
Euphemisms forGod and Jesus, such as gosh and gee, are used by Christians to avoid taking thename of God in a vain oath, which some believe would violate one of the TenCommandments. (Exodus 20)
When praying,Jews will typically use the word «Adonai» ('my Lord'). However, whenin a colloquial setting, this is deemed inappropriate among Jews, and sotypically Jews replace the word «Adonai» with the word«HaShem», which literally means, «The Name». It is notablethat «Adonai» is itself a word that refers to the Jewish God's name, יהוה or YHWH, the originalpronunciation of which is unknown due to a lack of vowels. It was translated asJehovah for some centuries, but scholars now agree that it was more likely Yahweh.Traditionally, Jews have seen the name of God as ineffable and thus one thatmust not be spoken. According to the Torah, when Moses saw the burning bush, heasked God, «who are you?» The answer he heard was, «I am that Iam». Thus, Jews have for centuries thought that the name of the Almightyis ineffable, because according to their logic pronouncing it would beequivalent to calling oneself God.[citation needed]
Euphemisms forhell, damnation, and the devil, on the other hand, are often used to avoidinvoking the power or drawing the attention of the adversary. The most famousin the latter category is the expression what the dickens and its variants,which does not refer to the famed British writer but instead was a populareuphemism for Satan in its time.
· Excretory euphemisms
While urinateand defecate are not euphemisms, they are used almost exclusively in a clinicalsense. The basic Anglo-Saxon words for these functions, piss and shit, areconsidered vulgarities and unacceptable in general use, despite the use of pissin the King James Bible (in Isaiah 36:12 and elsewhere).
The word manure,referring to animal feces used as fertilizer for plants, literally means«worked with the hands» (from the Latin: manus, manūs —«hand»), alluding to the mixing of manure with earth. Several zoosmarket the byproduct of elephants and other large herbivores as Zoo Doo or Zoopoop,and there is a brand of chicken manure available in garden stores under thename Cock-a-Doodle Doo. Also, a brand of sheep manure is called «Baa BaaDoo.» Similarly, the abbreviation BS, or the word bull, often replaces theword bullshit in polite society. (The term bullshit itself generally means liesor nonsense, and not the literal «shit of a bull», making it a dysphemism.)
There are anynumber of lengthier periphrases for excretion used to excuse oneself fromcompany, such as to powder one's nose, to see a man about a dog (or horse), to dropthe kids off at the pool or to release the chocolate hostages (theseexpressions could actually be regarded as dysphemisms). Slang expressions whichare neither particularly euphemistic nor dysphemistic, such as take a leak,form a separate category.
In somelanguages, various other sensitive subjects give rise to euphemisms anddysphemisms. In Spanish, one such subject is class and status. The word señoritois an example, although the euphemism treadmill has turned it to adisparagement, at least in Mexico.
· Sexual euphemisms
The Latin termpudendum and the Greek term αιδοίον (aidoion) for the genitals literallymean «shameful thing». Groin, crotch, and loins refer to a largerregion of the body, but are euphemistic when used to refer to the genitals. Theword masturbate is derived from Latin, the word manus meaning hand and the wordsturbare meaning to defile. In pornographic stories, the words rosebud and starfishare often used as euphemisms for anus, generally in the context of anal sex.
Sexualintercoursewas once a euphemism derived from the more general term intercourse by itself,which simply meant «meeting» but now is normally used as a synonymfor the longer phrase, thus making the town of Intercourse, Pennsylvania, asubject of jokes in modern usage.
The «baseballmetaphors for sex» are perhaps the most famous and widely-used set ofpolite euphemisms for sex and relationship behavior in the U.S. The metaphorsencompass terms like «hitting it off» for a good start torelationship, «Striking out» for being unlucky with a love interest,and «running the bases» for progressing sexually in a relationship.The «bases» themselves, from first to third, stand for various levelsof sexual activity from French kissing to «petting», itself aeuphemism for manual genital stimulation, all of which is short of«scoring» or «coming home», sexual intercourse.«Hitting a home run» describes sex during the first date,«batting both ways» (also «switch-hitting») or«batting for the other team» describes bisexuality or homosexuality respectively,and «stealing bases» refers to initiating new levels of sexualcontact without invitation. Baseball-related euphemisms also abound for the«equipment»; «Bat and balls» are a common reference to the malegenitalia, while «glove» or «mitt» can refer to the femaleanatomy.
There are manyeuphemisms for birth control devices, sometimes even propagated by the manufacturers:Condoms are known as «rubbers», «sheaths», «lovegloves», «diving suits», «raincoats»,«Johnnies» (in Ireland and to a lesser degree Britain) etc. The birthcontrol pill is known simply as «The Pill», and other methods ofbirth control are also given generalized euphemisms like «The Patch»,«The Sponge», «Shots», etc. There are also many euphemismsfor menstruation, such as «having the painters in», being «on therag», «flying the flag» (originally a euphemism for hanging outthe bedsheet after a wedding night as a testament to the woman's virginity), orit simply being «that time of the month», Munster playing at home(Irish).
Euphemisms arealso common in reference to sexual orientations and lifestyles. For example inthe movie «Closer» the character played by Jude Law uses theeuphemism «He valued his privacy» for being gay.
As an aside,the use of euphemisms for sexual activity has grown under the pressure ofrecent rulings by the Federal Communications Commission regarding whatconstitutes «decent» on-air broadcast speech. The FCC included manywell known euphemisms in its lists of banned terms but indicated that even newand unknown coinages might be considered indecent once it became clear whatthey referenced. George Carlin's «Seven Words You Can't Say On TV»evolved into the «Incomplete List of Impolite Words», available intext and audio form, and contains hundreds of euphemisms and dysphemisms togenitalia, the act of having sex, various forms of sex, sexual orientations,etc. that have all become too pejorative for polite conversation, includingsuch notables as «getting your pole varnished» and «eating thetuna taco». Carlin also did a bit on the uses of the word«fuck», originally only a dysphemism for the sex act but becoming anadverb, adjective, noun, etc. This «diversity» is also mentioned onin the movie The Boondock Saints after the main characters commit a mass murderof bosses followed by a violent joke on a friend who is in the Mafia.
· Euphemisms referring to profanity itself
In the Spanishlanguage, words that mean «swear word» are used as exclamations inlieu of an actual swear word. The Spanish word maldición, literallymeaning «curse» or «bad word», is occasionally used as aninterjection of lament or anger, to replace any of several Spanish profanitiesthat would otherwise be used in that same context. The same is true in Italianwith the word maledizione.
In Greek, theword κατάρα «curse» isfound, although βρισιά, from ύβρις(hubris) is more commonlyused, and in English (especially British usage), an exclamation that is used ina similar style is curses. The stereotyped «Perils of Pauline» silentfilm might have the villain tying his victim to a railroad track. When the herorescues the heroine, the card might say, «Curses! Foiled again!» inplace of whatever cursing the character presumably uttered.
· Euphemisms for death and murder
The Englishlanguage contains numerous euphemisms related to dying, death, burial, and thepeople and places which deal with death. The practice of using euphemisms fordeath is likely to have originated with the magical belief that to speak theword «death» was to invite death; where to «draw Death'sattention» is the ultimate bad fortune — a common theory holds that deathis a taboo subject in most English-speaking cultures for precisely this reason.It may be said that one is not dying, but fading quickly because the end isnear. People who have died are referred to as having passed away or passed or departed.Kick the bucket seems innocuous enough until one considers that such might befatal if such removes a commonplace stand that prevents a suicidal hanging. Deceasedis a euphemism for «dead», and sometimes the deceased is said to havegone to a better place, but this is used primarily among the religious with aconcept of Heaven. Was taken to Jesus implies salvation specifically for Christians,but met his maker may imply some judgment, content implied or unknown, by God.
Some Christiansoften use phrases such as gone to be with the Lord or called to higher service(this latter expression being particularly prevalent in the Salvation Army) or«graduated» to express their belief that physical death is not theend, but the beginning of the fuller realization of redemption.
OrthodoxChristians often use the euphemism fallen asleep or fallen asleep in the Lord,which reflects Orthodox beliefs concerning death and resurrection.
The dead bodyentices many euphemisms, some polite and some profane, as well as dysphemismssuch as worm food, or dead meat. Modern rhyming slang contains the expression brownbread. The corpse was once referred to as the shroud (or house or tenement) ofclay, and modern funerary workers use terms such as the loved one (title of a novelabout Hollywood undertakers by Evelyn Waugh) or the dear departed. (Theythemselves have given up the euphemism funeral director for grief therapist,and hold arrangement conferences with relatives.) Among themselves, mortuarytechnicians often refer to the corpse as the client. A recently dead person maybe referred to as «the late John Doe». The term cemetery for«graveyard» is a borrowing from Greek, where it was a euphemism,literally meaning 'sleeping place'. The term undertaking for «burial»is so well-established that most people do not even recognize it as aeuphemism. In fact, undertaking has taken on a negative connotation, as undertakershave a devious reputation.
Contemporaryeuphemisms and dysphemisms for death tend to be quite colorful, and someone whohas died is said to have passed away, passed on, checked out, bit the big one, kickedthe bucket, bitten the dust, popped their clogs, pegged it, carked it, turnedtheir toes up, bought the farm, cashed in their chips, fallen off their perch, croaked,given up the ghost (originally a more respectful term, cf. the death of Jesusas translated in the King James Version of the Bible Mark 15:37), gone south, gonewest, gone to California, shuffled off this mortal coil (from WilliamShakespeare's Hamlet), Run down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible, or assumedroom temperature (actually a dysphemism in use among mortuary technicians).When buried, they may be said to be pushing up daisies, sleeping the big sleep,taking a dirt nap, checking out the grass from underneath or six feet under.There are hundreds of such expressions in use. (Old Burma-Shave jingle:«If daisies are your favorite flower, keep pushin’ up those miles perhour!») In Edwin Muir's 'The Horses' a euphemism is used to show theelimination of the human race 'The seven days war that put the world to sleep.'
Euthanasiaalso attracts euphemisms. One may put one out of one's misery, put one to sleep,or have one put down, the latter two phrases being used primarily with dogs,cats, and horses who are being or have been euthanized by a veterinarian. (Theseterms are not usually applied to humans, because both medical ethics and lawdeprecate euthanasia.) In fact, Dr. Bernard Nathanson has pointed out that theword «euthanasia» itself is a euphemism, being Greek for «gooddeath».
Someeuphemisms for killing are neither respectful nor playful, but instead clinicaland detached, including terminate, wet work, to take care of one, to do them in,to off, or to take them out. To cut loose or open up on someone or somethingmeans «to shoot at with every available weapon». Gangland euphemismsfor murder include whack, rub out, hit, take him for a ride, or «put himin cement boots» or «put him in a concrete overcoat», the lattertwo implying disposal in deep water, if then alive by drowning; the arrangementfor a killing may be a simple «contract», which suggests a normaltransaction of business. One of the most infamous euphemisms in history was theGerman term Endlösung, frequently translated in English as «FinalSolution» as if it were the consequence of a bureaucratic decision or evenan academic exercise instead of a systematic plan for genocide.
Somedysphemisms, especially for death are euphemisms or dysphemisms for otherunpleasant events and thus are unpleasant in their literal meaning, used togeneralize a bad event. «Having your ass handed to you», «leftfor the rats», «toasted», «roasted»,«burned», «pounded», «bent over the barrel»,«screwed over» or other terms commonly describe death or the state ofimminent death, but also are common in describing defeat of any kind such as ahumiliating loss in a sport or video game, being unfairly treated or cast asidein business affairs, being badly beaten in a fight, and similar. Such anexecution device as the electric chair has been known as «Old Sparky»or «Yellow Mama», and the device that delivers lethal chemicals tothe condemned in a lethal injection is reduced to «the needle».
To terminatewith prejudice generally means to end one's employment without possibility ofrehire (as opposed to lay off, where the person can expect rehire if businesspicks up), but the related term to terminate with extreme prejudice now usuallymeans to kill. The adjective extreme may occasionally be omitted. In a famousline from the movie Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard is told to terminateColonel Kurtz's commission «with extreme prejudice». An acronym, TWEPhas been coined from this phrase, which can be used as a verb: «He wasTWEPed/TWEPped.»
The DeadParrot Sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus contains an extensive list ofeuphemisms for death, referring to the deceased parrot that the characterplayed by John Cleese had purchased. The popularity of the sketch has itselfincreased the popularity of some of these euphemisms — indeed, it hasintroduced another euphemism for death, «pining for the fjords» —although in the sketch that phrase was used by the shop owner to assert thatthe parrot was not dead, but was merely quiet and contemplative.
A similar passageoccurs near the beginning of The Twelve Chairs, where Bezenchuk, theundertaker, astonishes Vorobyaninov with his classification of people by theeuphemisms used to speak of their deaths. The game Dungeon Siege contains manyeuphemisms for death as well. Likewise the videogame Secret of Mana uses thephrase sees the reaper to mean death.
Also, a scenein the film Patch Adams features Patch (Robin Williams) dressed in an angelcostume, reading out various synonyms and euphemisms for the phrase «todie» to a man dying of cancer. This evolves into a contest between the twomen to see who can come up with more, and better, euphemisms, ending when Patchcomes up with «and if we bury you ass up, we'll have a place to park mybike.»
The name ofthe village of Ban Grong Greng in Thailand is a euphemism for Death Village. Itliterally means the Village of the Dreaded Gong. It is so named because it isthe home to Wat Grong Greng (temple of the dreaded gong) at which the burningof bodies at funerals is preceded by the beating of a gong.
3.2 Euphemisms in job titles
Euphemisms arecommon in job titles; some jobs have complicated titles that make them soundmore impressive than the common names would imply, such as CPA in place of carparking attendant. Many of these euphemisms may include words such as engineer,though in fact the people who do the job are not accredited in engineering.Extreme cases, such as sanitation engineer for janitor, or 'transparent-wallmaintenance officer' for window cleaner, are cited humorously more often thanthey are used seriously. Another example is Henny Youngman's joke that his brother-in-lawclaimed to be a «diamond cutter» — his job was to mow the lawn at YankeeStadium. Less extreme cases, such as custodian for janitor or administrativeassistant for secretary, are considered more terms of respect than euphemisms.Where the work itself is seen as distasteful, a euphemism may be used, forexample «rodent officer» for a rat-catcher, or «cemeteryoperative» for a gravedigger. In the British comedy series Yes, Ministerepisode The Skeleton in the Cupboard, the civil service in general and Bernardin particular refers to civil service rat-catchers as «environmentalhealth officers»
3.3 Commonexamples
Other commoneuphemisms include:
· gettingsmashed or hammeredinstead of 'drinking' or 'being drunk'
· big, fluffy, full-figured or heavy-setinstead of 'fat'
· losttheir livesfor 'were killed'
· wellness for benefits andtreatments that tend to only be used in times of sickness
· restroom for toilet room in AmericanEnglish (the word toilet was itself originally a euphemism)
· a loveof musical theatre, light in the loafers, good fashion sense or confirmed bachelor for malehomosexuality
· womanin sensible shoes for lesbian
· actinglike rabbits,making love to, getting it on, cheeky time, doing it, making the beast with twobacks, or sleeping with for having sex with
· sanitarylandfill for garbagedump (and a temporary garbage dump is a transfer station), also often called a CivicAmenity in the UK
· ill-advised for very poor or bad
· anintestinal release of pressure for fart
· pre-ownedvehicles oreven «pre-loved» for used cars
· motivation for bribe
· astudent being held back a grade level for having failed or flunked the gradelevel
· correctionalfacility for prison
· peerhomework helpor comparing answers for cheating
· thenorth of Ireland for Northern Ireland, which is seen by many Irish people as a termimposed by the British and therefore a profanity; however, saying the north ofIreland may be primarily a way of identifying oneself with the Irish Nationalistcause, rather than a euphemism
· thebig C for cancer(in addition, some people whisper the word when they say it in public, anddoctors euphemistically use technical terminology when discussing cancer infront of patients, e.g., «c.a.» or «neoplasia»/«neoplasticprocess», «carcinoma» for «tumor»); euphemisms forcancer are used even more so in the Netherlands, because the Dutch word forcancer can be used as a curse word
· bathroomtissue, t.p.,or bath tissue for toilet paper (usually used by toilet paper manufacturers)
· custodian or caretaker for janitor(Also originally a euphemism — in Latin, it means doorman. In the BritishSecret Service, it may still carry the ancient meaning. It does in the novels of John leCarré.)
· sanitationworker (or,sarcastically, sanitation officer or sanitation engineer), or garbologist, for«bin man» or garbage man
· economicallydepressed neighborhood or culturally-deprived environment for ghetto or slum
· force, police action, peaceprocess or conflict for war
· alcohol-related,single-car crash for drunk driver
· mature or been around the blockfor old or elderly
· haem or heme (Americanism) forblood, often used in medical settings («severe heme loss»).
· enhancedinterrogation techniquefor torture
· persuasion for torture
· take legal action for sue
· fee for fine
· gaming for gambling
· specificabout what one eats for being a picky eater
· intellectuallychallengedfor being mentally retarded
· Beforethat, mentally retarded for feeble minded
· Beforethat, feeble minded for halfwit
· adultentertainment,adult material, or erotica for pornography
· tohave been paidfor 'being fired from or by one's employer'
· to cutexcesses (in a budget) for to fire employees
· legal capital for stated capital
· gravitationallychallenged for clumsy
· genderreassignment for sexchange
· differently abled for disabled
· chemicaldependency for drugaddiction
· dual-diagnosed for having both mentalillness and drug problems
· co-morbidity for simultaneousexistence of related mental and physical health issues (a dysphemism,perhaps...)
· gentlemen'sclub for go-gobar or strip club
· fertility center for infertility center
· mentalhealth centerfor mental illness center
· it'ssnowin' down south for your slip is showing
· vertically-challenged for short
· feelingno pain (anddozens of others) for drunk
· yourfly is undonefor your zip is down
These listsmight suggest that most euphemisms are well-known expressions. Often euphemismscan be somewhat situational; what might be used as a euphemism in aconversation between two friends might make no sense to a third person. In thiscase, the euphemism is being used as a type of innuendo. At other times, theeuphemism is common in some circles (such as the medical field) but not others,becoming a type of jargon or, in underworld situations especially, argot. Onesuch example is the line «put him in bed with the captain's daughter»from the popular sea shanty Drunken Sailor. Although this line may sound morelike a reward for getting drunk to non-seamen, the phrase «captain'sdaughter» was actually a euphemism used among sailors for the cat o' ninetails (itself a euphemism for a kind of whip).
HungarianPrime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, in his controversial speech thattriggered the 2006 anti-government protests, used a number of vulgar phrasesthat were translated euphemistically by the media as «screwed up» and«did not bother».
Euphemisms canalso be used by governments to rename statutes to use a less offensiveexpression. For example, in Ontario, Canada, the «Disabled Person ParkingPermit» was renamed to the «Accessible Parking Permit» in 2007.[11]
The wordeuphemism itself can be used as a euphemism. In the animated short It's GrinchNight (See Dr. Seuss), a child asks to go to the euphemism, where euphemism isbeing used as a euphemism for outhouse. This euphemistic use of«euphemism» also occurred in the play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?where a character requests, «Martha, will you show her where we keep the, uh,euphemism?» It is analogous to the 19th-century use of unmentionables for underpants.
Also, lots ofeuphemisms are used in the improvised television show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?..They are used often in the game 'If You Know What I Mean', where players aregiven a scene and have to use as many obscure clichés and euphemisms aspossible.
CONCLUSION
The wordeuphemism itself can be used as a euphemism. In the animated short It’s GrinchNight (See Dr. Seuss), a child asks to go to the euphemism, where euphemism isbeing used as a euphemism for outhouse. This euphemistic use of “euphemism”also occurred in the play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Where a characterrequests, “Martha, will you show her where we keep the, uh, euphemism? It isanalogous to the 19th century use of unmentionables for underpants.
Euphemisms aresubstitutes for their synonyms. Their use and very existence are caused eitherby social conventions or by certain psychological factors. Most of them havestylistic connotations in their semantic structures. One can also assume thatthere is a special euphemistic connotation that can be singled out in thesemantic structure of each such word. Let me point out, too, that euphemisticconnotations in formal euphemisms are different in “flavour” from those inslang euphemistic substitutes. In the first case they are solemn and delicatelyevasive, and in the second rough and somewhat cynical, reflecting an attempt tolaugh off an unpleasant fact.
Euphemismsalways tend to be a source of new formations because after a short period ofuse the new term becomes so closely connected with the notion that it turns aword as obnoxious as earlier synonym.
And aslinguistic phenomenon euphemism is needed to be investigated in many aspects:in comparison with other languages, definition of the time and reason of theirappearance, determination of usage in literary and scientific books. It helpsus to get information of the world people.
There are stable euphemisms, and are depending on situations. If constantis a constant synonym of the certain concept situational depends on thecontents which at it is put or a context in which it is used.
It is possible to allocate also types euphemism behind features ofconstruction. Is one-worded – synonyms – «features – crafty», is two-worded andan adjective – «evil spirit».
As a result of distribution and influences of mass media and differentpsychological levers on language presently constructing type euphemism willintensively penetrate into all spheres colloquial and a literary language. Wereespecially strongly distributed tendencies in the English language in the USAwhere advertising and business really without any restriction «break» languageon the order. Not surprisingly because some American linguists even suggest todistinguish two languages: «language of the facts» (fact language) and«language of ideas» (іdea language).
For the translator it is very important to know about features of the useeuphemism in language correctly to estimate a role of implied sense, it isespecial while translating publicist materials or fiction.
LIST OFLITERATURE
1. Benveniste, Émile, “Euphémismesancient and moderns”, in Problèmes de linguistique générale,vol. 1, pp. 308-314. [originally published in: Die Sprache, I (1949), pp.116-122]
2. Rawson, Hugh, A Dictionary of Euphemism &Other Doublespeak, second edition, 1995.
3. R.W. Holder: How Not to Say What You Mean: ADictionary of Euphemism, Oxford University Press, 504 pages, 2003.
4. Maledicta: The International Journal of VerbalAggression (ISSN US)
5. MsGlone, M.S., Beck, G., & Pfiester, R.A.(2006). Contamination and camouflage in euphemisms. Communication Monographs,73.
6. Smyth, Herbert Weir (1920). Greek Grammar.Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 678 p.
7. Мусабекова С. Euphemisms as Linguistic Phenomenain the Sphere of Alcohol, Вестник КазНУ, серия филологическая, № 6 (105), 2007, c. 169-171.
8. Антрушина Г.Б., EnglishLexicology, seventh edition, 1999, 287 p.
Retrieved from en.wikipendia.org/wiki/
Euphemism
REFERENCES
1. ^ Euphemism Webster's OnlineDictionary.
2. ^ Cultural Protocol — Deathin a community Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
3. ^ Dyen, Isidore, A. T.James & J. W. L. Cole. 1967. Language divergence and estimated word retention rate.Language 43/1: 150-171.
4. ^ Gould, S.J., TheMismeasure of Man, W.W. Norton & Co, New York, 1996, pp. 188-189.
5. ^ American HeritageDictionary definition of «retarded» via answers.com.
6. ^ George Carlin, They'reOnly Words, Track 14 on Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics, Atlantic/Wea audioCD, 1990.
7. ^ Random House.com.
8. ^ The Age.com.
9. ^ McCool,W.C. (1957-02-06), Return of Rongelapese to their Home Island — Note by theSecretary, United States Atomic Energy Commission,worf.eh.doe.gov/ihp/chron/A43.PDF, retrieved 2007-11-07.
10. ^ Snopes.com, «Buy theFarm».
11. ^ www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/app.shtml
SUPPLEMENTARYMATERIAL OTHER EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH EUPHEMISMS
OTHER WORDSFOR OTHER PLACES
There areplenty of words for places we need but would like to avoid in politeconversation:
Brothel:common bawdy house, house of entertainment, house of ill-repute, massageparlor, red-light establishment, (where littering and loitering are strictlyprohibited).
Garbage Dump:Sanitary landfill, municipal refuse yard
Jail:hoosegow, holding unit, secure facility
One RoomLiving Unit: alternative lifestyle choice, smart-growth choice, studio suite,efficiency unit, granny suite, transit-oriented young lifestyle choice
Bathroom:ablution hut, boghouse comfort station, garderobe, gentleman's quarters,«his» and «hers», House of Honor, ladies room, lavatory,men's room, necessarium, place of convenience, place of ease, porcelain palace,public washroom, powder room, privy, room 100, the john, the jakes, theredorter, throne room, washroom, water closet, W.C.
ElderlyAccommodation: senior-oriented residence, continum of care lifestyle community,all-inclusive retirement living community, full-service lifestyle residence,assisted-living facility, independent-living facility, wellness and vitalityresidence
RESPONDING TOTHE CALL OF NATURE:
To powderone's nose, to see a man about a dog, to frost a rock
PRETTY NAMESFOR UNPLEASANT REALITIES OF LIFE
Neil Postmanin his book, Crazy Talk Stupid Talk (New York, Delacorte Press, 1976), suggeststhat a euphemism is an exalted term used in place of a down-to-earth term, or«an attempt to give prettier term to an uglier reality.»
And, speakingof «death» and «taxes», American spin doctors have come upwith a new term to describe the ravages of war and innovative ways to usetax-payers money to rebuild sandcastles in Iraq as «post-kineticdevelopment».
So, taking ourcue from this learned author, there are oodles of pretty names one can use todescribe unpleasant realities of life such as «death» and«taxes».
It seems that«taxes» are getting such a bad rap these days that spin-doctors havebeen working overtime to come up with new variations on one very unpleasantcivic duty, to submit to taxation ...otherwise known as «the process ofplucking the most amount of feathers from a goose with the least amount ofhissing.» Whoa, let's celebrate «Tax Free Day»!
It is thereforenot surprising that we have an amusing array of terms for taxation:«access fees/charges», «carbon footprint contributions»,«civic assessment fees», «direct universal servicesupport», «economic incentives», «economic stimuluspackages», «environmental externality factors», «impactfees», «income shifting options», «innovative sources offinancing», «late fees», «redistribution of wealthalternatives», «redeployment of revenue», «restructuring ofbudgets», «revenue enhancements», «service charges»,«socially-responsible public investments», «social supportsubsidies», «transfer payments», «universal servicecharges», «value-added revenue opportunities», and«user-fees».
As some havesuggested, «taxation» (is a legal and mandatory system ofprofessional if not progressive pick-pocketing), better known as a marvellousmethod of «robbing Peter to pay Paul».
And, when oneis complaining about why one's wallet is just a tad lighter these days, justremember what Mark Twain had to say on this matter: «The only differencebetween a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves theskin.»
A TIME-HONOREDTABOO TOPIC
Do you dreadusing the «d» word? The subject of unpleasant realities of life wouldnot be complete without a glimpse at the time-honored taboo topic of«death». And, if one wishes to avoid using this five-letter word,there are a myriad of other quaint if not quirky expressions from which tochoose:
A
arbitrarydeprivation of life, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, asleep, assumed room temperature,ate his last supper
B
basting theformaldehyde turkey, be taken, bereft of life, bite the biscuit, bite the bigone, bite the dust, bought the farm, bump[ed] off, buried, buy a pine condo,buy it
C
cadaverous,called to a higher place, carked it, cashed in their chips, cashed out, ceasedto be, check out, checking out the grass from underneath, cold, conk, croak,crossed over, crossed the bar, crossed the River Styx, cut-down, cut-off
D
danced thelast dance, deceased, dead, dead as a doornail, dead meat, defunct, demise,departed, destroyed, diagnostic misadventure of high magnitude, dirt, dirt nap,disappeared without warning, disincentivized, donated the liver pate, done for
E
eat it, enjoyhis/her last dance, enter the slumber room, erased, executed, expended,expired, executive actioned, extinction of the person
F
faded quickly,failed to fulfill his/her wellness potential, failed to thrive, fatallywounded, final solution, finished, fragged, fried
G
gathered tohis people, get your wings, give up the ghost, going into the fertilizerbusiness, going to the big place in the sky, gone, gone belly-up, gone into thewest, gone to a better place, gone to meet their Maker, gone to be with theLord, gone to sleep, got a one-way ticket
H
heaven-bound
I
in a betterplace, in Heaven/Hell, in a kinder gentler place, in repose, in his/her box, inthe casket, in the clover, in the eternity box, in the grave, in the ground, inthe mortuary, interred
J
joined thechoir invisible, joined the White Buffalo in the sky
K
kicked thebucket, kicked off, killed
L
late, left us,lie down with one's fathers, lifeless, liquidated, living-impaired, lost
M
member of theBoot Hill brigade, metabolic processes are now history, mortified
N
negativepatient care outcome, neutralized, no longer a factor, no longer with us, nomore, non-living, nonviable
O
offed, off thetwig
P
paid Charon'sfare, passed away/on/over, pegged it, perished, permanently indisposed,permanently out of print, pining for the fjords, popped his/her clogs, poppedoff, promoted to Sub-Terranean Truffle Inspector, pushing up the daisies, putdown
R
remains, restin peace (R.I.P.), returned to the ground, rode off into the sunset, rubbedout, run down the curtain
S
sell the farm,shuffled off the mortal coil, six-feet under, sleeping with the fishes,snuffed, snuff it, snuffed out, sprouted wings, stiff, stone-dead, succombed,suffered an unfortunate turn of events, sustained a therapeutic misadventure
T
taking a dirtnap, taken from us, terminal episode, terminally-inconvenienced, terminated,terminated with extreme prejudice, that good night, took his/her last breath,T.U. — Toes Up, turn their toes up, turn into a ghost
V
VSA — VitalSigns Absent
W
wandering theElysian fields, went to the big blue baseball field/shopping mall in the sky,whacked, with the ancestors, and last but not least, worm food.
GENTLE WORDSFOR GENTLE MEN?
The eighteenthcentury is full of fun...from inns of inequity to palaces of pleasure, and theEnglish language from Shakespeare onwards has been a riot of linguistic wit andmirthful mayhem.
Here are a fewchoice phrases referring to the flamboyance of some fly-by-night fellows.
· GentlemanCommoner: An empty bottle.
· Gentleman'sCompanion: A louse or gnit.
· Gentleman'sMaster: A highway robber.
· Gentlemanof Three Ins: A gentleman who is in debt, in jail, and in danger of remainingthere for life.
· Gentlemanof Three Outs: A gentleman who is without credit/money, without wit, andwithout manners.
The Englishlanguage is full of colorful terms for the expulsion of «vagrant airs andvolatile subjects» by members of the animal kingdom.
Those whoperpetrate foul winds in enclosed places or at inopportune times such as«Puff the Methane Dinosaur» may be referred to as «friggingfreepers» «flaming farteurs», «flutterblasters»,«fundusbreakers» or simply those who are known by family and friendsas «Flatus Factory.
The»random if not reticent release of a wayward wind", or perhapsseveral «entertaining emissions» may also be referred to in mixedcompany at a social gathering as «a cocktail party „calico“,»a party paradiddle" or «a sumptuous slider». Scientificsnobs also known as «Princes of Plotch & Scotch» prefer to definethese «enigmatic emanations» as «self-processed, self-propelledand self-stoked organic fuels in a self-contained power plant».
The realquestion is whether they're willing to accept the entertaining euphemisms forthe «elderly»: active-lifestyler, advanced in years, bat, biddy,chronologically-gifted, contemplative character, codger, cougar, crone,curmudgeon, dentured dandy, empty-nester, fogey, Freedom 55er, gaffer, geezer,golden-ager, granny, gramps, grey-hairs, Little Old Lady (LOL), Little Old Man(LOM), longer-living, mature individual, ninny, noteworthy for his/hercharacter lines, octogenarian, old biddy, old coot, old dog, old fox, old soul,oldster, old-timer, over-the-hill, positive ager, prime-timer, retiree, salt-and-peppergeneration, self-caring person, senior citizen, senior, seasoned citizen,silver fox, Third-Ager, wise woman, women of a certain age, woman of substance,and young-at-heart.