Euphemism: saying it, without saying it

In school, when our English teacher, Mr Prem C Nair, told us that "kicked the bucket" means "that person is dead", caused a good amount of mirth among us students. We were so excited about the phrase that whenever we heard someone was dead, we used the word "kicked the bucket".

Euphemism is a figure of speech wherein a word or phrase, which sounds more polite or mild, is used instead of one that sounds harsh or embarrassing. There are plenty of such euphemistic words or phrases we use in our daily life.

He is a bit tipsy. (He is drunk)
He is very economical with truth. (He is a liar.)
He is between jobs. (He is unemployed.)

Euphemisms are also evolving; and I have heard some people objecting to it.

There are women who prefer to say, "I am pregnant", rather than "I am in the family way". Similarly, very few young women nowadays would say, "I am in that time of the month ..." Instead, they would say, "I have my periods". The use of the word "menstruation" is also no longer a taboo or offensive.

At the end of the day, what word or phrase to use, depends on the context, is it not?

One of the most famous critics of euphemisms is George Carlin, the American stand-up comedian and social critic. Here is a 9-minute video clip of Carlin's take on euphemisms. Enjoy. :-)

(This blog entry is a part of the "Blogging from A to Z Challenge April 2018")