Euphemisms are polite ways of saying something in an effort to be sensitive. Of course, they can also be used to mislead your audience—doublespeak. Using your secret decoder rings, decipher the following euphemisms. Also, which are polite and which are just misleading?
- Physically challenged
- Vertically challenged
- Prior restraint
- Unplanned landing
- Landing not serviced with a runway
- Unintended structural issue
- Learning difference
- Involuntary bowel evacuation
- Non-contributing verbiage
and my personal favorite…
- Wardrobe malfunction
Reversing your secret decoder rings, create euphemisms for the following phrases:
- Old as dirt
- Friggin’ insane
- Ugly as sin
- Slower than molasses on a cold day
- Died
- Killed
- Gunshot (wound or actual bang bang)
When are euphemisms appropriate? When aren’t they?