http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/?utm_source=rss Euphemisms old and new Copyright 2013, Thinkmap Inc. All Rights Reserved. en Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/images/common/logo_on_white.gif http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/?utm_source=rss Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/ladies-night-at-the-euphemism-bar?utm_source=rss I believe in equality: in society and in columns. Last month, I looked at the prolific use of gentleman in euphemisms. This month, I turn to lady. Lady euphs prove something I always suspected: the English language is seldom a well-behaved lady, but it always shows you a good time. Wed, 05 Jun 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/ladies-night-at-the-euphemism-bar Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/gentleman-turkeys-and-other-high-class-gobbledygook?utm_source=rss Do gentlemen exist anymore? The word feels old-fashioned and paleolithic in the era of dudes, bros, and creeps. However, the word gentleman has a long, vibrant history as a euphemism. That history is worth celebrating. In the spirit of a recent column on angels, here's a look at the critters and crimes gentleman has coddled and concealed. Thu, 02 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/gentleman-turkeys-and-other-high-class-gobbledygook Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/slingin-blue-eyed-american-slang-2013?utm_source=rss Over the past couple of years, I've done several columns on massive dictionaries that have been recently completed or published, like the Dictionary of American Regional English and Green's Dictionary of Slang. Unfortunately, not all lexicographical projects have such a happy ending. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/slingin-blue-eyed-american-slang-2013 Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/real-euphemisms-from-the-pig-farm?utm_source=rss I've gone theme-happy with this column in recent months, looking at euphemisms for death, pregnancy, 30 Rock, and angels. Enough cohesion! It's time for a random roundup of terms that have crossed my eye, brightened my day, and befuddled my brain. Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/real-euphemisms-from-the-pig-farm Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/son-of-a-basket-more-regional-euphemisms?utm_source=rss In honor of the Dictionary of American Regional English winning the American Library Association's 2013 award for excellence in reference books, Mark Peters is going back to the beginning of the alphabet to uncover a trove of regional euphemisms. Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/son-of-a-basket-more-regional-euphemisms Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2012-meets-mr-mayhem?utm_source=rss 2012, the year of the Mayan non-pocalypse, has passed away, joined the heavenly choir, bit the big one, bought the farm, joined the heavenly choir, taken a dirt nap, joined the majority, and croaked. Let's bury it with terms of an appropriate nature: euphemisms for death. Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/2012-meets-mr-mayhem Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/good-god-lemon-a-30-rock-euphem-palooza?utm_source=rss Pardon my all-black clothes. I'm in pre-mourning because one of my favorite shows ever — 30 Rock — is on the verge of ending. I'll dearly miss this show for its potent satire of TV, the (literally) blue hallucinations of Tracy Jordan, the narcissistic psychopathy of Jenna, the performance of a lifetime by Alec Baldwin, and especially Tina Fey's role as star and creator. Wed, 05 Dec 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/good-god-lemon-a-30-rock-euphem-palooza Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/the-better-angels-of-our-lexicon?utm_source=rss Let's talk angels. The angels I'm referring to are close to the ground, though mostly inspired by the high-flying, heavenly sort: these angels are all euphemisms. Euphemistic senses of angel fly all over the lexical wilderness, though most of the following would be unwelcome on a shoulder. Fri, 09 Nov 2012 00:00:00 EST http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/the-better-angels-of-our-lexicon Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/bald-faced-factual-shortcuts?utm_source=rss As a euphemism columnist, I admire the work of anyone who catches dodges, evasions, and Orwellian whoppers in their butterfly nets. So I was thrilled, during the Republican National Convention, to find The Week's list of ways the media didn't say veep candidate Paul Ryan was a liar. Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/bald-faced-factual-shortcuts Evasive Maneuvers http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/in-the-euphemism-club-preggo-edition?utm_source=rss When it comes to the indelicate matter of pregnancy, English speakers are constantly coming up with creative circumlocutions for the condition of expecting women. In his latest monthly installment of under-the-radar euphemisms, Mark Peters takes a look at some of the more outrageous gestational obfuscations. Wed, 05 Sep 2012 00:00:00 EDT http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/evasive/in-the-euphemism-club-preggo-edition