http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/?utm_source=rss Euphemisms old and new Copyright 2010, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/?utm_source=rss Search for a word in the Visual Thesaurus word http://www.visualthesaurus.com Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2192?utm_source=rss When you obsess about words as much as I do, it's hard to pick a favorite. It's like Batman picking his favorite criminal lowlife. How do you choose between the Joker, Two Face, the Penguin, and the scum who killed your parents? It's just too painful. But what the heck, here's a good candidate, and it's also exhibit Q in the case of why I love the Dictionary of American Regional English: peedoodle. Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2192 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2158?utm_source=rss I have to admit, I'm still basking in the glow of last month's American Dialect Society meeting, when my two picks for 2009's Most Euphemistic — hiking the Appalachian trail and sea kittens — each took home an award. Hiking killed it in the euph category, while the sea kittens swam over to "Most Unnecessary" and took the prize. Booyah, and may I add, for the benefit of older readers, huzzah! Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2158 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2117?utm_source=rss Our own Mark Peters takes a look back at a decade in euphemisms, by trawling through the annual selections of "most euphemistic" words by the American Dialect Society — from courtesy calls to scooping technicians. Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2117 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2087?utm_source=rss In his latest monthly roundup of under-the-radar euphemisms, Visual Thesaurus contributor Mark Peters gets all pop-cultural, finding inspiration from the likes of 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy. Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2087 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2061?utm_source=rss It's in bad taste to make fun of your followers. It tends to discourage, you know, the following. Still, I can't resist gently heckling one of my recent Twitter followers who described herself as: "Newly married humom of the two cutest dogs in Twitterverse and beyond." Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2061 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2011?utm_source=rss As the author of the only euphemism column in North America or star quadrant XL47, you would be correct in assuming that I enjoy euphemisms as much as sunshine and chocolate cake. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2011 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1970?utm_source=rss Recently, at the vibrant dog community in Chicago's Lincoln Park, a two-pound, three-month-old malti-poo puppy was engaged in a rigorous, Pepe le Pew-like program of incessantly humping every dog in his path. Well, not every dog. He did stick to pooches that were somewhat in his "league," such as my own 12-pound rat terrier, who thankfully didn't bite the preposterous puppy's head off for taking such liberties. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1970 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1941?utm_source=rss In this month's Evasive Maneuvers column, our master of euphemisms tackles food and the consequences of food — on earth and in the cosmos. Recently, aboard the International Space Station, a crisis struck! Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1941 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1905?utm_source=rss Will the Appalachian trail ever be the same? Environmentally, I think so. Linguistically? Not a chance. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1905 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1873?utm_source=rss Euphemisms, like bedbugs and zombies, never strike when you expect them; they're always lurking under a pillow or zombie master that seemed so harmless. So imagine my delight when, right here in the pages of Visual Thesaurus, I read about one of the most delicious, audacious, egregious, preposterous euphemisms of my lifetime or yours — frozen popsicle (http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/1848/) as a synonym for homework. Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/1873