When we converse with others sometimes we find it difficult to refer directly to some of our activities such as the excretion of waste matter from the body or to death.
When a close relative dies we do not say he died. Instead we say he passed away. Similarly we have found nicer ways of talking about certain diseases, sexual activity, dishonesty, madness, fatness, old age or even ugliness. We have found alternative methods of referring to them using pleasanter words for some such activities which are known as euphemisms.
As Robert Burchfield says, “A language without euphemisms would be a defective instrument of communication.” Euphemisms are found in almost all languages. For instance, when a relative dies we say in Sinhala “Eyanethiuna.” A direct translation of ‘nethiuna’ is ‘lost.’ However, here it means that someone has died.
We find many euphemisms in the world of crime. Instead of saying ‘criminals’ we use the popular term ‘underworld.’ Sometimes a child may not understand its real meaning. People are charged with shoplifting which is a euphemism for stealing something from a shop. Very often we hear a long word – misappropriation – which simply means stealing from an organisation or a government department. ‘Joyriding’ is another popular euphemism for stealing a car and driving it around recklessly for fun. If you walk along the pavement, you will come across hawkers selling certain goods at surprisingly low prices. If you ask them, they will say the goods had fallen off the back of a lorry! They want to hide the fact that they had not come by the goods honestly.
Credibility gap
Lying is immoral, but people tell lies all the time. A small lie is referred to as a ‘fib.’ A white lie is meant to mean a lie told for good motives. There is a credibility gap when you describe something to another person who is not prepared to believe it. Certain writers have a poetic licence to depart from grammatical rules. Sometimes the word ‘fiction’ is used for lying. You can decorate the truth for lying by exaggeration.
We have found euphemisms for swearing as well. Strong language includes forceful and taboo vocabulary. People usually avoid saying four-letter words. They do not appear even in print. Instead of a four-letter word only the first letter ‘F …’ is printed followed by three dots. Then we use ‘basket’ for ‘bastard.’ ‘BF’ is another euphemism for ‘bloody fool.’
Gambling is an immoral activity. Despite its immorality people get involved in gambling. When you risk money on an uncertain result, people use euphemisms to make it less reprehensible. In many countries gambling has acquired a dignified appellation called ‘gaming.’ Professional bettors are known as ‘bookmakers.’ Now there are ‘Turf accountants’ and ‘commission agents.’ Those who bet are known as ‘punters’ or ‘sportsmen.’
Next to gambling, alcoholic drinks have acquired euphemisms mainly in Western countries. If you take a drink, it is usually an alcoholic drink. Even in Sri Lanka people ask, “Do you drink?” at parties. My departed friend Edwin Ariyadasa had a ready answer: “Yes, get me a glass of ginger beer!” He never took ‘strong drinks.’ Some people have an excuse for drinking. They say they drink for medicinal purposes. Wine has been touted as a restorative drink even by some doctors. If someone says they enjoy a glass occasionally, it certainly does not mean a glass of water, but an alcoholic drink!
Once, aman asked the editor of a newspaper whether he could send in a regular column and become a columnist. The editor asked him whether he read newspapers regularly. The man said he did not buy newspapers because they were very expensive. Miserliness is a pretty serious matter because it cuts to the quick. Some words connected with miserliness are avarice, meanness or stinginess. All these words have a high acid content. Therefore people have resorted to euphemisms. The man who wanted to be a columnist was ‘very careful’ with his money. Others of his ilk have a reputation for thriftiness. Similarly, if your boss is a tight-fisted man, do not expect a pay hike!
Pregnancy too has attracted many euphemisms. If a woman says she is expecting, she is pregnant. In buses seats are reserved for ‘Pregnant mothers.’ When an unmarried girl gets pregnant she is ‘in trouble.’ When a man wishes to marry a woman he has impregnated he ‘does the right thing.’ Even the popular term ‘confinement’ is a euphemism.
Oldest profession
We all know that the ‘oldest profession’ is prostitution. However, the word ‘prostitution’ is no longer used in civilised society because it is decidedly abusive. In the 16th century prostitutes were known as ‘street-walkers.’ In the 20th century ‘street-walkers’ became ‘street girls.’ That is the magic of euphemism. Today we use many other euphemisms for prostitutes such as ‘call girls,’ ‘women of pleasure’ or ‘ladies of easy virtue.’ In some countries such as Thailand prostitutes are known as sex workers.
Euphemisms have invaded our body parts as well. We say ‘tummy’ for ‘stomach.’ The ‘naval’ is known as the ‘tummy button.’ Advertisers prefer the term ‘underarm’ to ‘armpit.’ For a cosmetician a pimple is a ‘beauty spot.’ A man’s unshaven face is known as ‘designer stubble.’ Genitals are known as ‘private parts.’ The word ‘bottom’ is a polite term for ‘buttocks.’ Sometimes it is referred to as ‘behind.’ In the United States ‘derriere’ is used to refer to the bottom. In the 19th century, the bottom was known as the posterior.
Similarly, breasts are known as ‘nursing mothers.’ The word ‘bosom’ is another respectable term for breast. In order to refer to a bald man, you can say he is balding or he has thin hair. Meanwhile ‘ugliness’ is referred to as ‘plain.’ As children we read the story of ‘Plain Jane.’ If a woman is unattractive, we say she is ‘less attractive’ or ‘not much to look at.’ If we call someone fat, they will be annoyed. Fatness can be referred to as ‘corpulent, rotund’ or ‘ample.’
Euphemisms
We have invented euphemisms even for nakedness. If a woman is found in a state of nature, she is naked. Clothing is a product of civilisation. Babies are born wearing the ‘birthday suit.’ The word ‘nude’ is used as a euphemism for ‘naked.’ We also use ‘disrobe’ for ‘undress.’ If a person is ‘undraped’ they are wearing no clothes. If a woman is wearing only a smile, she is naked.
There are many euphemisms for bodily functions. Going to the lavatory, loo or bathroom has been replaced by going to the washroom. If you want to urinate or defecate, you say you want to answer a call of nature. If a child is toilet trained, he has control over his bladder and bowels.
Euphemisms can also be used to hide physical disabilities. We no longer use words such as dumb, deaf, lame or cripple in civilised society. For instance, blind people are visually impaired. Deaf people are hard of hearing. Disabled people are differently abled. Dumb people are orally challenged.
As has been seen, euphemisms cover almost all aspects of human life. They add glamour to unglamorous expressions.
