Introducing Euphemisms to Language Learners

Examples of Euphemism

A euphemism is a polite expression used in place of words or phrases that otherwise might be considered harsh or unpleasant to hear. Euphemisms are used regularly, and there are many examples in everyday language.

Types of Euphemisms

To Soften an Expression

Some euphemisms are used in order to make a blunt or unpleasant truth seem less harsh.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

• Passed away instead of died
• Correctional facility instead of jail
• Departed instead of died
• Differently- abled instead of handicapped or disabled
• Fell off the back of a truck instead of stolen
• Ethnic cleansing instead of genocide
• Turn a trick instead of engage in prostitution
• Negative patient outcome instead of dead
• Relocation center instead of prison camp
• Collateral damage instead of accidental deaths
• Letting someone go instead of firing someone
• Put to sleep instead of euthanize
• Pregnancy termination instead of abortion
• On the streets instead of homeless

To Be Polite

Other euphemisms are used to take the place of words or phrases you might not want to say in polite company.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

• Adult entertainment instead of pornography
• Adult beverages instead of beer or liquor
• Au natural instead of naked
• Big-boned instead of heavy or overweight
• Portly instead of heavy or overweight
• Chronologically-challenged instead of late
• Comfort woman instead of prostitute
• Use the rest room instead of go to the bathroom
• Break wind instead of pass gas
• Economical with the truth instead of liar
• Powder your nose instead of use the rest room
• The birds and the bees instead of sex
• Between jobs instead of unemployed
• Go all the way instead of have sex
• Domestic engineer instead of maid
• Sanitation engineer instead of garbage man
• Vertically-challenged instead of short
• Sleep together instead of have sex

Euphemisms to be Im polite

In some cases, euphemisms are intentionally a grosser or less pleasant way of saying something. These are usually used when people are being sarcastic or trying to make light of a serious subject or make it seem less serious.

Examples include:

• Batting for the other side instead of homosexual
• Bit the big one instead of died
• Bit the farm instead of died
• Cement shoes instead of dead
• Bit the dust instead of died
• Croaked instead of dead
• Kick the bucket instead of die
• Blow chunks instead of vomited
• Hide the sausage instead of sex
• Making whoopee instead of sex
• Well-hung instead of having a large penis

Euphemisms

A euphemism (from the Greek words eu - well and pheme - speak) is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions. Most people, for example, would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dog to be killed. They would soften the pain by saying: We had Fido put down or We had Fido put to sleep. Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly, or cuddly rather than fat. As such, euphemisms are an important part of every language, but it seems that English has an ever-growing number of them. The non-native speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears, he also has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particular situation. He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom, or comfort station) is, but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog. He might have learned, for example, that in the family way is a euphemism for pregnant. If he says to his boss, however: Congratulations! I hear your wife is in the family way., he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.

Schools are full of euphemisms. At Frankfurt International School, for example, the special lessons given to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Center (in the middle school) and Academic Workshop (in the high school). Teachers rightly do not want to offend students or parents by being too blunt or direct, and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message. For this reason, school reports often contain euphemisms such as: He is not working to his full potential or He has a rather relaxed attitude to his work (= he is lazy), She is unable to concentrate in class (= she is disruptive), He has strong opinions about everything and is not afraid to voice them (= he is loud and arrogant).

Typical of many recently-coined euphemisms are the words and expressions that try to avoid giving offence to various minority groups or unfortunate individuals. People who have severe learning difficulties are sometimes called intellectually-challenged, and those with a physical handicap are referred to as differently-abled. Poor people are called needy, under-privileged; disadvantaged or economically deprived. Poor countries have in turn been called underdeveloped, developing, emergent, Third World - all in an effort to retain the meaning without causing offence or being patronizing. The struggle over the past 10-20 years to find an acceptable way to refer to black Americans is further evidence of the increased sensitivity that we now have to the power of language. This sensitivity is often referred to as political correctness.

The field of English language teaching is experiencing a similar struggle over terminology; we have not yet reached a consensus on what we should call our learners of English. Some people are unhappy with the term ESL (English as a second language) students because this implies that English is the first foreign language that non-native speakers should learn. And in any case, they say, English might be the learner's third or fourth language. These people prefer to use the term EAL learners - i.e. English as an additional language learner. In America over the past few years the term LEP (limited English proficient) students has become popular. However there is now a backlash from people who feel that this term is too negative, and they suggest calling such students PEP s (potentially English proficient). The latest acronym, however, seems to be ELL (English language learner). No doubt this will remain popular until someone points out that all native English speakers are ELL s too, and yet another new term will need to be found!

Quiz

To test your knowledge of the English language, have a look at the following euphemisms and see if you can explain them!

• senior citizen
• law-enforcement officer
• undertaker
• collateral damage
• pro-choice
• white meat
• adult video
• economical with the truth
• tired and emotional
• person with a visual impairment
• substance abuser
• downsizing
• Where can I wash my hands?

Answers

• senior citizen - old person
• law-enforcement officer - policeman
• undertaker - a person or firm whose job it is to dispose of the bodies of people who have died (The direct German translation of the term undertaker is Unternehmer. It is interesting that the German word means businessman or entrepreneur; it has not taken on the euphemistic meaning of the English counterpart.)
• collateral damage - this is the term given to the unintended damage incurred in a military action; for example, the killing of civilians in bombing attacks on strategic city targets.

As I noted above, many euphemisms have been coined to avoid offending sensitive people or discriminating against unfortunate individuals or underprivileged minority groups. In my opinion these are acceptable reasons for deploying a euphemism *. Much less acceptable are euphemisms like collateral damage or the odious Final Solution (Endloesung - i.e. the murder of Jews in Nazi Germany) and the more recent ethnic cleansing (to describe the attempt to clear parts of the former Yugoslavia of a particular national group by terrorising and killing them). The purpose of these euphemisms is not to avoid offending people but to deceive them.

• pro-choice - describes person who is a supporter of a woman's right to have an abortion (opponents of abortion call themselves pro-life)
• white meat - the meat that comes from the breast of a chicken
• adult movie - pornographic movie
• economical with the truth - someone who is economical with the truth is a liar
• tired and emotional - drunk
• person with a visual impairment - a blind person

. The intention of this euphemism is to stress that the blind person is a person - who happens to have a visual disability. He or she is not defined by the disability. The term blind person, on the other hand, is thought to place the blindness at the center of the person's existence; and for this reason it has become unacceptable to some. (It is interesting, however, that some blind people object to term, not least because it muddles the distinction between the fully blind and people who have a more minor visual disability. - Read more about this and about the problems with euphemisms in general.)

• substance abuser - a drug addict
• downsizing - reducing the size and wages bill of a company by sacking employees
• Where can I wash my hands? - Where is the toilet?

* Unfortunately, some of the new euphemisms (particularly those emanating from the USA) have been rather silly or unnecessary. And this has given right-wing commentators the chance to attack the whole notion of political correctness. (Two of the sillier euphemisms, in my opinion, are vertically challenged - to describe a short person; and sanitary engineer - for a janitor or Hausmeister (German))

I. Introduction

There has been little EFL research on euphemisms, despite two facts: fluency in English cannot be achieved without a reasonable command of them, and a great number are semantically opaque. For learners, euphemisms represent a part of English largely untaught. This is rather incongruous, for as speakers of English we use euphemisms to express any number of everyday realities, and as passive listeners and readers we decode them daily to properly understand discourse in the workplace, the business world, the mass media, etc.

This paper presents a brief background of euphemism use in English along with a short glossary of common words and some of their current, popular euphemisms. Following the glossary is a lesson that introduces learners to euphemisms and explores the question of why, in Garner's (1998) words, they "thrive as much today as ever." (p. 266).

Objectives

The student will:

· Learn the word euphemism.

· Learn the taboo and uncomfortable subjects in English that give rise to most of our euphemisms.

· Appreciate euphemisms' semantic opaqueness.

· Identify euphemisms in newspaper articles, features, editorials, advertising, etc.

· Surmise, to a reasonable degree, why a euphemism is used, and what it connotes as compared to the original (often Anglo-Saxon) word it stands for.

In Class

Begin the lesson by explaining that English, like all languages, has subjects that can be difficult to talk about, because the original words for these subjects can offend, disturb, or embarrass the person one is addressing. State that for these subjects we use words called euphemisms, which are "softer" words than the original words. For example, mention that death is often talked about with euphemisms such as pass away, pass on, go to heaven, etc.

Write on the board poor, fat, and old and state that these words are often euphemized in English. Ask students if they know any euphemisms for them. (Possible answers might be, respectively, low-income, working class, modest; overweight, stout, portly, husky; senior, mature, traditional.) As students offer euphemisms, write them on the board.

Continue by pointing out that euphemisms are often difficult to understand on purely linguistic terms. To illustrate this, write the following sentences (or similar ones) on the board (this may be done in advance). Tell students to "translate" each sentence into clear, straightforward English. Provide photocopies of the glossary in this article for reference. (Note: as the glossary is organized by original word, not by euphemism, students will need to guess the meaning of the euphemisms by context.)

• His grandfather passed away.
• My father is between jobs but has two interviews today.
• The peace officer apprehended the sanitation man for speeding.
• The sales associate answered in the affirmative when the judge asked him if he had ever been incarcerated.
• The manager complained to his administrative assistant of inventory shrinkage.
• Our son is a special child.
• Dan's supervisor laid him off because he was unmotivated.
• American football is a physical game, and has disabled many players.
• The individual was accused of appropriating funds.
• The correctional facility has 220 inmates, five of whom are facing capital punishment.

Discussion

When the students are finished, call on some to read their "translations." The idea is for them to understand the softening and/or misleading nature of euphemisms. If you wish to expand the lesson, ask: When is the use of euphemisms "good" and when is it "bad"? Do news reporters--whose mission it is to report the news--ever use euphemisms? When? Should they use them?

Homework

Each student finds a newspaper article that uses at least five euphemisms and replaces them with more direct English words. The students bring in the original article (perhaps taped or pasted to a sheet of paper) with the euphemisms underlined and their "translations" written on the paper. (To complete the assignment the students will need to refer to the glossary in this article and/or a good dictionary.)

Follow-up to Homework

Have different students come to the board and write a sentence with a euphemism from their articles. Then have each student write his or her "translation" below it. After a few sentences have been written on the board, ask the class to speculate on why the euphemisms were used in each instance.

Passed Away

This one is one of the most common euphemisms, so much so that you probably didn’t even realize it was a euphemism. This one is used to avoid mentioning death, and with euphemisms being used to avoid discussing unpleasant topics, it is unsurprising that so many common ones relate to death.

Up The Duff

This phrase that we use to say that somebody is pregnant is supposed to be a euphemism, when really it’s far more unpleasant than just saying that someone is pregnant. Strange really.

Put to Sleep

It’s quite a common death euphemism, but it’s specific to animals, usually pets, as in being put down by a vet. You can see where the phrase comes from, because the animals just die as peacefully as if they were drifting off to sleep.

Lady of The Night

The only euphemism making the list that describes a prostitute, ‘lady of the night’ is unusual in that it’s a term to describe a normally vilified somebody in as pleasant a way as possible, but not to avoid offending them, but because it’s a bit of a taboo to discuss prostitution. Let’s face it, most people don’t really consider prostitutes to be ‘ladies,’ do they?

Couch Potato

This is one of many common euphemisms that can mean slightly different things depending on where you’re from. A lot of people use it to describe somebody who is overweight, while others understand it to really describe somebody who is just lazy, whatever size they are.

Kick The Bucket

This is another of the euphemisms in common use about death, but it’s an odd phrase and there is debate about where it comes from. One theory is that it comes from the use of hanging as a method of execution, where the victim was stood on an upturned bucket until it was kicked out from under them, and they died.

Knocked up

This is another everyday euphemism about pregnancy, and yet again, it’s more unpleasant than just saying that somebody is pregnant. Bearing in mind that it usually describes accidental or irresponsible pregnancy, it’s possible that it came into use because it seems to remove the blame from the woman.

 

Sleep with

Another of the most common euphemisms, ‘sleeping with’ someone really means having sex with them. It’s really nothing to do with sleeping, although it probably came about because of the usual use of a bed, and with the sleeping that often follows.

Exotic Dancer

It’s unusual, this one, because it’s a euphemism that is mostly used by people to describe themselves, or someone they care about. Strippers don’t like to be called strippers, and strippers’ friends and boyfriends don’t tend to want them to be called strippers either, so instead they are exotic dancers.

Offed Himself

This is another one about death, although it’s the only one on the list that relates directly to suicide. Suicide is still quite a taboo subject, so it’s unsurprising that people don’t want to say it directly, although it is a somewhat derogatory, and certainly insensitive, phrase.

Ethnic Cleansing

This is one of the most euphemistic phrases in the English language, literally suggesting that people of a certain ethnicity are being washed, when really it’s used to describe genocide.

Differently Abled

One of the nicest common euphemisms we have, we can describe someone as differently abled to avoid saying they are disabled. It’s nice because it suggests that they are not less able than us, but that they are in fact just able in a different way.

Visually Challenged

This is another euphemism about people having disabilities, although this one is specifically about being blind or partially sighted. It has become the basis of other euphemisms, with some short people referring to themselves as ‘vertically challenged,’ and many other similar phrases.

Didn’t Make It

This is yet another one meaning that someone has died, although we tend to say that someone didn’t make it if they were in an accident or fighting an illness, as it suggests that somebody didn’t make it through something.

Frumpy

We certainly don’t like to call people fat, which is why we have everyday euphemisms like ‘frumpy,’ although when the meaning is so well known, it can be just as offensive. It’s more that people don’t feel as bad about insulting another person if they are less direct about it, even if what they say means the same thing.

Leg over

Getting your leg over is essentially having sex with someone, but again, it’s more unpleasant than just saying so. It implies a sense of achievement, and sexual conquest, which is perhaps why it is more commonly used by men.

Doing It

This is the last of the sex euphemisms, and is a very popular one, particularly because it’s fairly inconspicuous and can be used in front of children because it will pass entirely over their heads. ‘It’ is often used on its own to mean sexual intercourse, too. We seem to love avoiding talking about it directly.

A Few Extra Pounds

When you find yourself discussing someone that you recently saw and want to express your opinion about your observations, it is much more polite to say that they have gained a few extra pounds than bluntly calling them fat. Weight is a sensitive subject especially for women, which is why we all avoid blurting out words like obese, fat, and overweight.

Visit The Ladies Room

This euphemism in common use is not used for politeness in the same way as many of the others, but more because we tend to be embarrassed of our natural bodily functions, particularly with people we don’t really know. All it really means is that we need to use the toilet.

Letting Someone Go

When it comes to firing someone, you rarely hear the exact words of ‘You are fired’ unless of course your boss doesn’t care about your feelings. However instead most people word it differently in order to appear polite and less harsh. What they usually say is ‘I am sorry but we have to let you go.’ Sounds a lot nicer, but the meaning is unfortunately the same.

On The Streets

When you are describing someone with an unfortunate lifestyle or history, you try to refrain from describing them as homeless or as a bum. One of the common ways to express the same idea is to say that the person spend a big chunk of his or her life on the streets.

Full Figured

This is the final ‘fat’ euphemism to make the list, and is probably the kindest of all of them. Perhaps that’s because we often don’t actually want to be offensive or negative about somebody when we call them full figured. The same cannot be said of the other fat euphemisms, which, let’s face it, are hardly real euphemisms at all.

Categorical Inaccuracy

When ordinary people conceal the truth and say something that is not consistent with the facts, that is considered lying. However when it comes to politics it is all different. If somebody in power is not saying the truth, it is incompetent to call them liars instead we say that there were categorical inaccuracies in what they said.

Lost His/her Marbles

Mental health professionals usually don’t call people with mental problems crazy because that word has negative connotations and instead they often refer to those mental issues as a disease. However ordinary people like us, usually say that the person lost his or her marbles instead of stating that they are nuts, mad, or kooky. Although these euphemisms are vague, sometimes they can still sound hurtful to the people with the mental problems.

Over The Hill

We all know that age is a sensitive subject to all women, after all who is looking forward to getting grey hair, wrinkles and sagging skin. However sooner or later, we will all have to face this problem but that doesn’t mean that we have to say that we are old or ancient. There are better words to refer to people who have reached the climax of their life time by saying that they are over the hill.

Between Jobs

Unemployment rates are high, especially in the current state of the economy and some people are suffering financially. Many have been cut and now are having a hard time finding a permanent job but instead of referring to themselves as unemployed these people say that they are between jobs. Although it sounds a lot better, it doesn’t change their situation.

Euphemisms

Examples of Euphemism

A euphemism is a polite expression used in place of words or phrases that otherwise might be considered harsh or unpleasant to hear. Euphemisms are used regularly, and there are many examples in everyday language.

Types of Euphemisms

To Soften an Expression

Some euphemisms are used in order to make a blunt or unpleasant truth seem less harsh.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

• Passed away instead of died
• Correctional facility instead of jail
• Departed instead of died
• Differently- abled instead of handicapped or disabled
• Fell off the back of a truck instead of stolen
• Ethnic cleansing instead of genocide
• Turn a trick instead of engage in prostitution
• Negative patient outcome instead of dead
• Relocation center instead of prison camp
• Collateral damage instead of accidental deaths
• Letting someone go instead of firing someone
• Put to sleep instead of euthanize
• Pregnancy termination instead of abortion
• On the streets instead of homeless

To Be Polite

Other euphemisms are used to take the place of words or phrases you might not want to say in polite company.

Examples of euphemisms that fall into this category include:

• Adult entertainment instead of pornography
• Adult beverages instead of beer or liquor
• Au natural instead of naked
• Big-boned instead of heavy or overweight
• Portly instead of heavy or overweight
• Chronologically-challenged instead of late
• Comfort woman instead of prostitute
• Use the rest room instead of go to the bathroom
• Break wind instead of pass gas
• Economical with the truth instead of liar
• Powder your nose instead of use the rest room
• The birds and the bees instead of sex
• Between jobs instead of unemployed
• Go all the way instead of have sex
• Domestic engineer instead of maid
• Sanitation engineer instead of garbage man
• Vertically-challenged instead of short
• Sleep together instead of have sex

Euphemisms to be Im polite

In some cases, euphemisms are intentionally a grosser or less pleasant way of saying something. These are usually used when people are being sarcastic or trying to make light of a serious subject or make it seem less serious.

Examples include:

• Batting for the other side instead of homosexual
• Bit the big one instead of died
• Bit the farm instead of died
• Cement shoes instead of dead
• Bit the dust instead of died
• Croaked instead of dead
• Kick the bucket instead of die
• Blow chunks instead of vomited
• Hide the sausage instead of sex
• Making whoopee instead of sex
• Well-hung instead of having a large penis

Euphemisms

A euphemism (from the Greek words eu - well and pheme - speak) is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions. Most people, for example, would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dog to be killed. They would soften the pain by saying: We had Fido put down or We had Fido put to sleep. Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly, or cuddly rather than fat. As such, euphemisms are an important part of every language, but it seems that English has an ever-growing number of them. The non-native speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears, he also has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particular situation. He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom, or comfort station) is, but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog. He might have learned, for example, that in the family way is a euphemism for pregnant. If he says to his boss, however: Congratulations! I hear your wife is in the family way., he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.

Schools are full of euphemisms. At Frankfurt International School, for example, the special lessons given to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Center (in the middle school) and Academic Workshop (in the high school). Teachers rightly do not want to offend students or parents by being too blunt or direct, and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message. For this reason, school reports often contain euphemisms such as: He is not working to his full potential or He has a rather relaxed attitude to his work (= he is lazy), She is unable to concentrate in class (= she is disruptive), He has strong opinions about everything and is not afraid to voice them (= he is loud and arrogant).

Typical of many recently-coined euphemisms are the words and expressions that try to avoid giving offence to various minority groups or unfortunate individuals. People who have severe learning difficulties are sometimes called intellectually-challenged, and those with a physical handicap are referred to as differently-abled. Poor people are called needy, under-privileged; disadvantaged or economically deprived. Poor countries have in turn been called underdeveloped, developing, emergent, Third World - all in an effort to retain the meaning without causing offence or being patronizing. The struggle over the past 10-20 years to find an acceptable way to refer to black Americans is further evidence of the increased sensitivity that we now have to the power of language. This sensitivity is often referred to as political correctness.

The field of English language teaching is experiencing a similar struggle over terminology; we have not yet reached a consensus on what we should call our learners of English. Some people are unhappy with the term ESL (English as a second language) students because this implies that English is the first foreign language that non-native speakers should learn. And in any case, they say, English might be the learner's third or fourth language. These people prefer to use the term EAL learners - i.e. English as an additional language learner. In America over the past few years the term LEP (limited English proficient) students has become popular. However there is now a backlash from people who feel that this term is too negative, and they suggest calling such students PEP s (potentially English proficient). The latest acronym, however, seems to be ELL (English language learner). No doubt this will remain popular until someone points out that all native English speakers are ELL s too, and yet another new term will need to be found!

Quiz

To test your knowledge of the English language, have a look at the following euphemisms and see if you can explain them!

• senior citizen
• law-enforcement officer
• undertaker
• collateral damage
• pro-choice
• white meat
• adult video
• economical with the truth
• tired and emotional
• person with a visual impairment
• substance abuser
• downsizing
• Where can I wash my hands?

Answers

• senior citizen - old person
• law-enforcement officer - policeman
• undertaker - a person or firm whose job it is to dispose of the bodies of people who have died (The direct German translation of the term undertaker is Unternehmer. It is interesting that the German word means businessman or entrepreneur; it has not taken on the euphemistic meaning of the English counterpart.)
• collateral damage - this is the term given to the unintended damage incurred in a military action; for example, the killing of civilians in bombing attacks on strategic city targets.

As I noted above, many euphemisms have been coined to avoid offending sensitive people or discriminating against unfortunate individuals or underprivileged minority groups. In my opinion these are acceptable reasons for deploying a euphemism *. Much less acceptable are euphemisms like collateral damage or the odious Final Solution (Endloesung - i.e. the murder of Jews in Nazi Germany) and the more recent ethnic cleansing (to describe the attempt to clear parts of the former Yugoslavia of a particular national group by terrorising and killing them). The purpose of these euphemisms is not to avoid offending people but to deceive them.

• pro-choice - describes person who is a supporter of a woman's right to have an abortion (opponents of abortion call themselves pro-life)
• white meat - the meat that comes from the breast of a chicken
• adult movie - pornographic movie
• economical with the truth - someone who is economical with the truth is a liar
• tired and emotional - drunk
• person with a visual impairment - a blind person

. The intention of this euphemism is to stress that the blind person is a person - who happens to have a visual disability. He or she is not defined by the disability. The term blind person, on the other hand, is thought to place the blindness at the center of the person's existence; and for this reason it has become unacceptable to some. (It is interesting, however, that some blind people object to term, not least because it muddles the distinction between the fully blind and people who have a more minor visual disability. - Read more about this and about the problems with euphemisms in general.)

• substance abuser - a drug addict
• downsizing - reducing the size and wages bill of a company by sacking employees
• Where can I wash my hands? - Where is the toilet?

* Unfortunately, some of the new euphemisms (particularly those emanating from the USA) have been rather silly or unnecessary. And this has given right-wing commentators the chance to attack the whole notion of political correctness. (Two of the sillier euphemisms, in my opinion, are vertically challenged - to describe a short person; and sanitary engineer - for a janitor or Hausmeister (German))

Introducing Euphemisms to Language Learners

Scott Alkire
s_alkire [at] hotmail.com
San Jose City College (San Jose, California, USA)

I. Introduction

There has been little EFL research on euphemisms, despite two facts: fluency in English cannot be achieved without a reasonable command of them, and a great number are semantically opaque. For learners, euphemisms represent a part of English largely untaught. This is rather incongruous, for as speakers of English we use euphemisms to express any number of everyday realities, and as passive listeners and readers we decode them daily to properly understand discourse in the workplace, the business world, the mass media, etc.

This paper presents a brief background of euphemism use in English along with a short glossary of common words and some of their current, popular euphemisms. Following the glossary is a lesson that introduces learners to euphemisms and explores the question of why, in Garner's (1998) words, they "thrive as much today as ever." (p. 266).