Editing Euphemism (section)

==Formation methods==
{{more citations needed|find=euphemism|find2=phonetic deformation|date=December 2021}}

===Pronunciation (phonetic modification)===
{{anchor|Phonetic modification|Pronunciation|reason=Old section names; may have incoming links to them.}}
Phonetic euphemism is used to replace profanities and blasphemies, diminishing their intensity. To alter the pronunciation or spelling of a taboo word (such as [[profanity]]) to form a euphemism is known as ''taboo deformation'', or a ''[[minced oath]]''. Such modifications include:
* Shortening or "clipping" the term, such as ''Jeez'' ('Jesus') and ''what the—'' ('what the hell').
* Mispronunciations, such as ''oh my gosh'' ('oh my God'), ''frickin'' ('fucking'), ''darn'' ('damn') or ''oh shoot'' ('oh shit'). This is also referred to as a minced oath. ''[[Feck]]'' is a minced oath for 'fuck', originating in [[Hiberno-English]] and popularised outside of Ireland by the British [[sitcom]] ''[[Father Ted]]''.
* Using [[acronym]]s as replacements, such as ''SOB'' ('son of a bitch'). Sometimes, the word ''word'' or ''bomb'' is added after it, such as ''F-word'' ('fuck'), etc. Also, the letter can be phonetically respelled.

===Understatement===
Euphemisms formed from [[understatement]]s include ''asleep'' for dead and ''drinking'' for consuming alcohol. "[[Tired and emotional]]" is a notorious British euphemism for "drunk", one of many [[Recurring jokes in Private Eye#Euphemisms|recurring jokes]] popularized by the satirical magazine ''[[Private Eye]]''; it has been used by MPs to avoid [[unparliamentary language]].

===Substitution===
Pleasant, positive, worthy, neutral, or nondescript terms are often substituted for explicit or unpleasant ones, with many substituted terms deliberately coined by sociopolitical movements, [[marketing]], [[public relations]], or [[advertising]] initiatives, including:
*''meat packing company'' for 'slaughterhouse' (avoids entirely the subject of killing); ''natural issue'' or ''love child'' for 'bastard'; ''let go'' for 'fired/sacked', etc.

Some examples of [[Cockney]] [[rhyming slang]] may serve the same purpose: to call a person a ''berk'' sounds less offensive than to call a person a ''[[cunt]]'', though ''berk'' is short for [[Berkeley Hunt]],<ref>although properly pronounced in upper-class British-English "barkley"</ref> which rhymes with ''cunt''.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url= http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/berk |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140727055231/http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/berk |archive-date=27 July 2014 |dictionary=Collins Dictionary |title=definition of 'berk'/'burk' |access-date=22 July 2014}}</ref>

===Metaphor===
* [[Metaphor]]s (''beat the meat'', ''choke the chicken'', or ''jerkin' the gherkin'' for '[[masturbation]]'; ''take a dump'' and ''take a leak'' for '[[defecation]]' and '[[urination]]', respectively)
* Comparisons (''buns'' for 'buttocks', ''weed'' for '[[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]]')
* [[Metonymy]] (''men's room'' for 'men's restroom/toilet')

===Slang===
{{see also|Slang}}
The use of a term with a softer connotation, though it shares the same meaning. For instance, ''screwed up'' is a euphemism for 'fucked up'; ''hook-up'' and ''laid'' are euphemisms for '[[sexual intercourse]]'.

===Foreign words===
Expressions or words from a foreign language may be imported for use as euphemism. For example, the French word {{lang|fr|enceinte}} was sometimes used instead of the English word ''pregnant'';<ref name="MW">{{cite web |title=Definition of enceinte |url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enceinte |website=Merriam-Webster |access-date=20 May 2017 |archive-date=13 June 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170613192557/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enceinte |url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|fr|abattoir}} for ''[[slaughterhouse]]'', although in French the word retains its explicit violent meaning 'a place for beating down', conveniently lost on non-French speakers. ''[[Entrepreneur]]'' for ''[[businessman]]'', adds glamour; ''douche'' (French for 'shower') for vaginal irrigation device; ''[[bidet]]'' ('little pony') for vessel for anal washing. Ironically, although in English physical "[[Disability|handicaps]]" are almost always described with euphemism, in French the English word ''handicap'' is used as a euphemism for their problematic words {{lang|fr|infirmité}} or {{lang|fr|invalidité}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HANDICAP in French - Cambridge Dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-french/handicap}}</ref>

===Periphrasis/circumlocution===
[[Periphrasis]], or [[circumlocution]], is one of the most common: to "speak around" a given word, [[Implicature|implying]] it without saying it. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas.