How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms (3rd Edition)

How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms (3rd Edition)

We often use euphemisms when dealing with taboo or sensitive subjects. We speak of “full-figured” women. We “fudge” on our income tax. We get “cold feet” before our wedding. In How Not to Say What You Mean, R.W. Holder offers an engaging volume that celebrates this human tendency to use mild, vague, or roundabout expressions rather than those which are blunt, precise, and true. Arranged in alphabetical order, this dictionary contains thousands of entertaining and informative entries ranging from such circumlocutions as a “fruit salad” (mixture of illegal narcotics), “arm candy” (a good-looking female companion), a “barrel-house” (a brothel), “birthday suit” (nakedness), and a “blue hair” (an old women). Completely updated, the dictionary provides definitions, examples, as well as historical explanations where appropriate. Fun, fascinating, lively, and at times shocking, this new edition of How Not to Say What You Mean is a browser’s delight and will appeal to all language and word play lovers, and anyone looking for a good laugh. How Not To Say What Vow Mean unmasks the language of hypocrisy, evasion, prudery, and deceit. This hugely entertaining collection highlights our tendency to use mild, vague, or roundabout expressions in preference to words that are precise, blunt, and often uncomfortably accurate. Entries, drawn from all aspects of life: work, sexuality, aye, money, and politics, provide the real meaning for well-known phrases such as above your ceiling, gardening leave, rest and recreation, count the daisies, God’s waiting room, washed up, and fact-finding mission.

Format: PDF
Size: 13 MB
Date of Publication: 2002
Paperback: 501 pages
Edition: 3rd Edition

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How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms (3rd Edition)