Euphemism is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found offensive or suggest something unpleasant. Euphemisms are used to soften or hide unpleasant topics like disability, sex, excretion, and death. They evolve over time through processes like circumlocution, taboo deformation, and semantic change. There are several types of euphemisms including abstraction, indirection, litotes, mispronunciation, modification, personification, and slang. Euphemisms differ from idioms in that euphemisms substitute agreeable expressions to avoid offense, while idioms have figurative meanings separate from their literal definitions.

1. EUPHEMISM

2. definition
 it carries a connotative meaning.
 a generally innocuous word or
expression used in place of one that
may be found offensive or suggest
something unpleasant.
 Its opposite is the dysphemism.

3. examples
To Soften an Expression
 Passed away instead of died
 Correctional facility instead of jail
 On the streets for homeless.
 Differently-abled instead of handicapped or disabled
 Pregnancy termination instead of abortion
 On the streets instead of homeless

4. examples
To Be Polite
 Adult entertainment instead of pornography
 Adult beverages instead of beer or liquor
 Big-boned instead of heavy or overweight
 Comfort woman instead of prostitute
 Domestic engineer instead of maid
 Sanitation engineer instead of garbage man
 Sleep together instead of have sex

5. examples
Euphemisms to be Impolite
 Blow chunks instead of vomited
 Dracula's Tea Bags instead of tampons
 Well-hung instead of having a large penis
 Making whoopee instead of sex

6. etymology
Euphemism
: from the Greek word ευφημία
(euphemia), meaning “the use of good
omen”
: from the Greek root words eu (ευ)
,“good/well”, and pheme (φήμι)
“speech/speaking”, meaning glory,
flattering speech, praise.

7. usage
 used by the Ancient Greeks as
euphemism meaning “to keep a holy
silence”
 used to avoid words considered rude
 used for dissimulation, to refer to
taboo topics(such as disability, sex,
excretion, and death) in a polite way,
and to mask profanity.

8. evolution
 PERIPHRASIS or CIRCUMLOCUTION
: to speak around a given word, implying
it without saying it.
 TABOO DEFORMATION or MINCED OATH
: to alter the pronunciation or spelling of
taboo words.
 PEJORATION or SEMANTIC CHANGE
: process described by W.V.O. Quine and
more recently dubbed the “euphemism treadmill”

9. Types of euphemism
ABSTRACTION
: Some euphemisms serve to distance
people from unpleasant or embarrassing
truths, as when we say that a dead person
passed away.
Ex : Passed away for die.

10. Types of euphemism
INDIRECTION
: A euphemism may replace an explicit
description of an action, as when people
speak of going to the bathroom or of others
sleeping together.
Ex: Hide the sausage instead of sex
your place or mine? - when offering sex

11. Types of euphemism
LITOTES
: Sometimes, euphemism occurs in the
form of this rhetorical device in which the
gravity or force of an idea is softened or
minimized by a double negative, as in the
reference to someone as being not
unattractive.
Ex: "not so big" for short
"not exactly a supermodel" for ugly
"not true" for a lie

12. Types of euphemism
MISPRONUNCIATION
: Alteration of pronunciation is a form
of euphemism so as not to offend people by
using profanity (figurative or literal).
: These types of euphemisms,
involving rhyme, alliteration, or shortening,
are also called minced oaths.
Ex: shoot instead of shit
gosh instead of god

13. Types of euphemism
MODIFICATION
: A bluntly offensive noun can be
transformed into a euphemism by converting it to
an adjective, as in saying someone has socialist
leanings rather than labelling them a socialist
outright.
Ex: "...makes her look slutty" instead of "...is a
slut"

14. Types of euphemism
PERSONIFICATION
: One form of euphemism is when
things that some people prefer not to
mention candidly, such as genitals, are
assigned personal names.
Ex: "Dick" for penis

15. Types of euphemism
SLANG
: Much of slang, derived to produce a
vocabulary exclusive to a social group, is
euphemism.
Ex: "screwed up" is a euphemism for fucked up

16. Euphemism vs. idioms
 a substitution for an
expression that may
offend or suggest
something unpleasant
to the receiver, using
instead an agreeable or
less offensive
expression, or to make
it less troublesome for
the speaker.
 an expression, word, or
phrase that has
a figurative
meaning that is
comprehended in
regard to a common
use of that expression
that is separate from
the literal meaning or
definition of the words
of which it is made.
euphemism idioms