24 July 2008

Euphemisms - "You say Potato...I say awesome Root (vegetable)"

In Patrick Marber's play and film Closer there is a clever bit of banter in which journalist Dan explains the euphemisms his newspaper uses in obituaries for public figures:

Dan: At six PM, we stand round the computer and read the next day’s page, make final changes, put in a few euphemisms to amuse ourselves…
Alice: Such as?
Dan: “He was a convivial fellow” - meaning he was an alcoholic. “He valued his privacy” - gay. “He enjoyed his privacy” - raging queen."

Hilarious. Then there are the euphemisms for body parts and functions and sexually activities that amuse the giggling adolescent in us all.

Got any good euphemisms to share? Use the comments box.

3 comments:

  1. Possibly one of my favourite films. Bashing the Bishop is pretty amusing too. Will have to use that sometime soon. Put me down for 'Low weights, high repetitions' until i think of something funnier

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  2. Doing the fiveknuckle shuffle

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  3. haha - i love a good eupho!

    How about these;

    THERE HAVE BEEN HEAVY CASUALTIES - people are dying!!

    DOWNSIZING - sacking employees

    UNPLANNED LANDING - hmmm - do you mean plane crash??

    And my grandma uses this one all the time...
    IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME - when she means - "if I die...."

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