Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk

by Hugh Rawson

This witty and sardonic guide to euphemisms and other forms of doubletalk includes thousands of words and phrases that camouflage true meanings. These linguistic fig leaves, as they have been called, range from delicate evasions ("bosom", "unmentionables", and "the love that dare not speak its name") to monstrosities that are designed to disguise torture ("energetic interrogation"), sanitize war ("soft ordnance", not "napalm"), and cover up mass murder ("the Final Solution" and "ethnic cleansing"). Completely cross-referenced and featuring a general introduction that tells how and why euphemisms are created, often in sequences as one term succeeds another, this dictionary is especially valuable for its detailed attention to the origins of expressions and for its many examples of actual usage, showing the interplay between language and culture. Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk will appeal not only to those who use words with care and who care about how they are used by others, but to the many people who enjoy browsing through collections of curious facts presented in entertaining, anecdotal fashion.

Genres: Reference, Language, Nonfiction

463 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 1985

Reviews

[RoDanCapital · Rating 5 out of 5]

As political correctness becomes increasingly important (see recent cases as of Spring of 2017 of June Y. Chu from Yale, covered in my blog Yapping about Yelping at Yale; http://rodancapital.blogspot.com/ and of Paul Griffiths at Duke) a dictionary of euphemisms is a valuable addition to one's toolkit.

Always use euphemisms, always use a screen name.

Be well.

Big Brother is watchin' anyway.

You're good until he/she/they do(es) not take action.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and fun, but much outdated, dictionary filled with plenty of references as its title reveals. A good resource for the writer, enthusiast, and any others interested in speech patterns and styles throughout this period of history. But, will one find a definition in this work related to “social liberalism” which invariably leads to totalitarianism... not likely. Not a standard word-by-word dictionary, but still a nice addition for one's collection. In use for personal reference.

[J. Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugh Rawson is hilariously wry in dissecting the ways English has been perverted to cover its tracks. Especially great is the way he describes "Developer" as an individual who tears down whatever is there, builds some schlocky nonsense, sells it, then walks away counting his money. This is a superb book that I keep in the bathroom (where I can read it every day).

[James S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Badly dated - references to Watergate abound - and by its nature less interesting than the author's fantastic Wicked Words, a book that covers a lot of the same territory. Read that one instead.

[Eugenio Fouz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich, diverse read

[Ron Heimbecher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very handy reference, especially for writing political stories.

[David Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like reading any dictionary, it's hard to do in one pass. But a nice reference for a writer.