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euphemism (YOO-fuh-miz-em) noun
Use of a mild, neutral, evasive, or vague term in place of one considered taboo, offensive, blunt, or unpleasant. [From Greek euphemismos, from euphemos (auspicious), from eu- + pheme (speaking).] "Two-and-a-half months after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the notorious Executive Order 9066. As a result, more than 110,000 Japanese, virtually all the Japanese-Americans on the mainland, were `evacuated to concentration camps' in remote parts of America's mountain states. The words were his, though they were soon replaced in official parlance by the euphemism, `reception centres'." Books And Arts: The Consequences of Terror; Japanese Internment in America (book review), The Economist (London), Sep 22, 2001. More examples: collateral damage for civilian casualties, second-hand for used, pre-owned for second-hand, pre-loved for pre-owned, budget for cheap, pass away for die, sanitation worker for garbage collector, convivial for drunkard. This week's theme: words about words. Today's AWAD is brought to you by NannyTax, Inc., providing tax compliance services to employers of domestic help. For useful information and a free consultation, please visit: http://www.nannytax.com ............................................................................ It is not always the same thing to be a good man and a good citizen. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE) Send your comments to anu@wordsmith.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to wsmith@wordsmith.org with "Subject:" line as "subscribe <Name<" or "unsubscribe". Archives, FAQ, gift subscription form, bulletin board, and more at http://wordsmith.org/awad/ Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/euphemism.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/euphemism.ram
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