#euphemism

Euphemisms are incredibly common in everyday speech. We use euphemisms all the time when we address touchy subjects in polite company. American English is full of common examples of euphemism and new words and phrases are constantly being adopted to address sensitive topics. These include:

Physical appearance. You might hear people use the word “homely” to describe someone who they find unattractive or “big-boned” to refer to someone who has a larger frame.

Sex. Sexual intercourse is a subject area rife with euphemisms. When we discuss sex we use euphemisms to either make light of the subject or omit more graphic language. “Making love” is one such euphemism that we commonly use to refer to sex. A more outdated version of this same euphemism is “making whoopee.”

Toilets. American English speakers use euphemisms to refer to a room with a toilet, calling it a “restroom” or a “bathroom” even if it doesn’t contain a bath. Speakers of other English dialects also refer to it euphemistically, calling it a “WC” (short for “water closet”).

Euphemism is an incredibly useful tool for writers. It allows you to talk about sensitive subjects while avoiding the collateral damage that loaded words or phrases might bring about. Using euphemisms well can help you vary your subject matter and elevate your prose.

Examples of Euphemism from Literature

Euphemism can be found in literature from many different eras. For example:

William Shakespeare. Shakespeare used puns, double entendres, and colloquial figures of speech to embed the topic of sex into an otherwise tame conversation between his characters. In Othello, Shakespeare uses the euphemism “the beast with two backs” as a euphemism for sex.

Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales is full of graphic innuendo and sexual references that may fly over the heads of modern audiences. One of the reasons for this is that Chaucer uses euphemisms throughout to refer to body parts and sexual acts that his audience would be familiar with.

George Orwell. In Orwell’s 1984, a totalitarian regime imposes a new form of language called “newspeak” on its populace. Newspeak is peppered with euphemisms to tamp down on freedom of thought and present the novel’s autocratic government in a positive light. Through Orwell’s skilled use of euphemism, his readers get examples of the thought and language control exerted by the government.

How Euphemism is Used in Literature

Early examples of euphemism can be found in the works of writers like Chaucer or Shakespeare, often to describe sex or licentious behavior.

Utilizing euphemisms in your writing can be a good tool for writing multi-layered, charged conversations between your characters and for improving the variety of your prose.

Though we often think of the term euphemism as generalizing our language to opt for a less offensive word or phrase, euphemisms can sometimes actually give prose more specificity and provide relatable phrases we hear in our everyday lives.