Quotes About Euphemism

political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of political parties. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.

In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of political parties. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness.

Most of the time when "universal" is used, it's just a euphamism for "white"; white themes, white significance, white culture.

Pantheism is a self-defeating concept, because the concept of a God presupposes a world different from him as an essential correlate. If, on the other hand, the world is supposed to take over his role, then an absolute world without God remains; hence pantheism is only an euphemism for atheism.

Democracy has become Empire's euphemism for neo-liberal capitalism.

Congratulations,' I said, indicating her belly. I wanted to say something else, but I could never work out whether it was appropriate to say a heavily pregnant woman was 'large', 'not large', 'neat', 'blooming', or any of the other euphemisms people seemed to use to disguise what they wanted to say, which was essentially along the lines of Bloody hell.

Pardon me, madam, if I have little respect for honor. I think it's only a euphemism for double standard and hypocrisy. - Clay Sutherland

British intelligence was not above "bumping off" enemy spies, to use the cheery euphemism favored by MI6.

Patrimonial capitalism's legacy is that many people see reform as a euphemism for corruption and self-dealing.

When people speak of Time's healing magic, they are simply being euphemistic about our human tendency - and perhaps necessity - to forget.

When you get right down to it, there is no dignified way to go, be it decomposition, incineration, dissection, tissue digestion, or composting. They're all, bottom line, a little disagreeable. It takes the careful application of a well-considered euphemism—burial, cremation, anatomical gift-giving, water reduction, ecological funeral—to bring it to the point of acceptance.

Dead people make NASA uncomfortable. They don't use the word cadaver in their documents and publications, preferring the new euphemism postmortem human subject (or, yet more cagily, PMHS).

What was the secret that the serpent told Eve? That she could eat a certain fruit? Pah. That was a euphemism. The fruit was carnal knowledge, and everybody from Thomas Aquinas to Milton knew it. How did they know it? Nowhere in Genesis is there even the merest hint of the equation: Forbidden fruit equals sin equals sex. We know it to be true because there can only be one thing so central to mankind. Sex.

As for government euphemism, it is contemptible not because it is a form of mind control but because it is a form of lying.

Tot allò. L'Eduard Calvo va adonar-se que era un eufemisme estrany.

Coït, copulation. Mots à éviter. Dire : « Ils avaient des rapports… »

He called us." "Dominick Rochester?" "Yes." "When?" "Last night. He said he met with you." Met, Myron thought. Nice euphemism.

Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.

These days (if I may steal a term from the jargon of the contemporary rialto), it is not politically correct to admit that some people die of old age.

Gaenor and Paul, her year twelve boyfriend, known to make out while eating shepherd's pie, which is not a euphemism.

I had a vibrator once. Had two speeds. Oh, My and Oh, God. Big Al, I called it. Seemed more subtle than big Dick.

Before the word 'resignation' became a euphemism for being fired, it connoted a sense of public integrity and personal honor.

Relabeling—a form of denial—takes a problem and hides it behind euphemisms.

You do realize that bunny butt is just a polite way of saying rabbit ass.