tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post7902251328373792893..comments2023-06-10T22:42:19.087+10:00Comments on Australasian Christian Writers: Euphemisms - friends or foes?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-856586099157368422017-06-26T09:27:42.240+10:002017-06-26T09:27:42.240+10:00LOL Iola - You won't be surprised to learn tha...LOL Iola - You won't be surprised to learn that the euphemistic book was not a winner.Nola Passmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08425394685430146759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-32914069510953100662017-06-24T07:49:01.342+10:002017-06-24T07:49:01.342+10:00Carol never seen the visiting Ant Mary. But I know...Carol never seen the visiting Ant Mary. But I know of a few saying they were seeing a man about a dog. I said this to a friend and she actually said what does it exactly mean as Dad (FIL) use to say it all the time and I explained it to her that it meant going to the bathroom. She was a city girl. <br /><br />Paula here we would say going to the bathroom because back growing up most older houses the toilet is in the bathroom. In America it still is part of the bathroom in most houses. Ausjennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07644698706787568679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-43102865590682509222017-06-24T07:08:49.931+10:002017-06-24T07:08:49.931+10:00Thanks for the thought provoking post, Paula. It m...Thanks for the thought provoking post, Paula. It made me think of an old friend who refers to going to the toilet as 'visiting Aunt Mary' which always amuses me but is also a part of her unique personality and something I find endearing. I think these euphemisms can be used in literature to bring out a particular character in stories so can be used to advantage but would spoil the effect if over used. Carol Preston https://www.blogger.com/profile/00306981583283008014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-45379244411860767382017-06-23T22:36:35.389+10:002017-06-23T22:36:35.389+10:00Hi Iola, I love the thought of your generous son w...Hi Iola, I love the thought of your generous son wanting to replace his father's lost marbles :) I agree that I'd hate to see them weeded out of literature completely. The English language owes some of its colour and character to things such as euphemisms. As you say, it's a matter of balance. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-77854862697546125452017-06-23T22:33:13.790+10:002017-06-23T22:33:13.790+10:00Hi Nola, if we can always keep on top of the accep...Hi Nola, if we can always keep on top of the acceptable euphemisms and the less acceptable ones, we'll be doing well :) As you say, the fact that people themselves have different opinions on which ones are acceptable makes it a very challenging job, if not impossible. That sounds like an interesting novel :)Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-39824001548606236022017-06-23T22:30:51.576+10:002017-06-23T22:30:51.576+10:00Hi Jenny, yes, there are definitely some hybrid ty...Hi Jenny, yes, there are definitely some hybrid types, which could be classified as both euphemisms and cliches :) Isn't it a funny thing that their initial intention may be to come across more polite, yet a great many euphemisms succeed in doing just the opposite. Your example reminds me of a story in which a young man reflects that he knows a young lady he admires 'in the Biblical sense'. Paula Vincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02079952414990463270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-71636613504962195672017-06-23T15:17:42.213+10:002017-06-23T15:17:42.213+10:00Interesting concept!
I take your point about eup...Interesting concept! <br /><br />I take your point about euphemisms being misunderstood. As a toddler, my son had obviously heard his father say he'd lost his marbles. One day, in a toyshop, he handed me some marbles and asked me if we should buy them for Daddy, to replace the ones he'd lost. <br /><br />As for Nola's example of Bob ... too much information, thank you. <br /><br />The point of writing is to be understood. If we're writing such vague euphemisms that we're not being understood, then we've kind of missed the point. But euphemisms can also show character and subtext, so I guess it's getting the balance right - as it is with so many things!Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-73460323801688963772017-06-23T14:21:20.365+10:002017-06-23T14:21:20.365+10:00Interesting post Paula. There's probably also...Interesting post Paula. There's probably also some overlap with euphemisms and political correctness. I'm all in favour of not offending anyone, so if a certain group wants to be known by a certain name, I'm happy to use that. The problem is often that members can't agree because one term will offend Person A, but a different term will offend Person B. <br /><br />It can also lead to unintentional laughs. My hubby burst out laughing at the breakfast table once while reading a novel. The passage that caused the guffaws was something like this: 'Bob was feeling good that morning, and not just because he'd experienced God's magnificent gift of marital love the night before'. Does anyone really talk like that? LOLNola Passmorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08425394685430146759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-515660504291275491.post-57902915043247828212017-06-23T08:35:06.560+10:002017-06-23T08:35:06.560+10:00Great question, Paula �� One KJV euphemism is '...Great question, Paula �� One KJV euphemism is 'relieved himself'. As a child, it was only when I read in the Living Bible that Saul went to the back of the cave to go to the bathroom (another euphemism) that I realised what it meant. I guess another Biblical one is 'He knew his wife' though in this case I can't helipad thinking that so much more happens in 'making love' that a bald statement of the physical act misses so much of what it was meant to be. <br /><br />Some euphemisms could classify as cliches (a bit long in the tooth), some seem harmless or, perhaps polite, while others are surely toxic - ethnic cleansing or racial hygiene - though for these reasons I think they are useful for a writer in showing character and subtext <br /><br />Thanks for a thought-provoking post. Jeanette O'Haganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11057798704247611224noreply@blogger.com