The Christmas edition of the Economist has an article on euphemisms that I was reading this morning.
"The British are probably the world champions of euphemism...British newspaper obituaries are a rich seam: nobody likes to speak ill of the dead, yet many enjoy a hint of the truth about the person who has "passed away". A drunkard will be described as "convivial" or "cheery". Unbearably garrulous is "sociable" or the dread "ebullient"; "lively wit" means a penchant for telling cruel and unfunny stories. "Austere" and "reserved" mean joyless and depressed. Someone with a foul temper "did not suffer fools gladly". The priapic will have "enjoyed female company"; nymphomania is "notable vivacity". Uncontrollable appetites of all sorts may earn the ultimate accolade: "he lived life to the full".
I never knew any of this.
The article makes a brief mention of the affinity that civil servants have with euphemism before ending with this interesting challenge:
"...scrub your conversation of euphemism for a day. The results will startle you."
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