This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 1424 English euphemisms and how they lead to your fluency.
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Fluency means using euphemisms, knowing how to use them and then deciding how direct to be when you approach sensitive topics.
In English
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Hey, Lindsay, how's it going?
Hey, Michelle, I'm feeling good.
I'm feeling good.
Yes, getting ready for September.
It's going to be an exciting month.
Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely.
So...
We have been having a lot of fun on this show with different kinds of topics about English, and I've been loving doing these topics.
So, for example, do you remember we did one on onomatopoeias?
Onomatopoeias.
I still love saying that.
But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I do.
1340.
Guys, you should go check that out.
That was really cool.
Hopefully our listeners love that one.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
It was beep, beep, ring, ring.
How using onomatopoeias in English can make you more interesting.
So I definitely had fun with that one, so listen to that one.
And today we are going to kind of take on another interesting aspect of English, and this is the euphemism.
So we spell that.
That's with a P-H guy.
So that's E-U-P-H-E-M-I-S-M.
Yes.
And so what the heck is a euphemism?
And why should we learn them, Michelle?
Okay, so a euphemism is a way to put something in a nice sounding way, in a less direct way, right?
So it's a little bit softer.
It's actually a substitution.
And they're very common in the English language.
And we use them even though...
Anyone usually, everyone usually knows what is actually being said, but you might not want to say the direct like bad sounding thing.
Okay.
Interesting.
So this is very high level to be able to do this.
Yeah.
Oh, this is super high level.
Yeah.
It makes me think of you know, we use these on an everyday basis, but even you know, if we are, let's say we're at a nice dinner and we want to say something in a different way, I mean, not all of these phrases would work, because we're going to share the phrase birthday suit.
It's That's a little different, which I love that phrase, too.
But you know yeah, around polite company, as they say.
We want to be able to rephrase things and put them in nice ways.
So this also would work in one particular context that I can think of, which is the IELTS exam.
Right, Michelle?
Yeah.
Oh, for sure.
This is really good for IELTS.
This definitely shows that you are at a super high level.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
And guys.
By the way, if you are taking IELTS this year, the first place to get started is at the IELTS Energy podcast by All Ears English.
So Jessica and Aubrey are over there.
Michelle, you're over there once in a while.
I'm over there sometimes.
But we have 14 plus years of examiner experience going into that podcast, okay?
So go over there, sign up, subscribe and start listening, because we're going to help you get that seven or higher over there, all right,
Cool.
Perfect.
Yes, definitely.
Go over there, guys.
So, yeah, let's get more into the euphemism.
So, for example, I may not want it.
Let's say someone is lazy, right.
I may not want to say you're lazy, right.
Or i may not want to use the word lazy i might.
Or or about myself right, like i might not want to call myself lazy, but i might want to use the word like comfortable Oh, OK.
Interesting.
Yeah.
Do you think that in this case, when you say this, that people know you're trying to say lazy and this is just kind of a word we're using to sound more palatable?
Or kind of.
I mean, I think this is a little bit of a complex example, right?
Because, I mean, I could say like, well, actually, that's not true.
I mean, okay, I'll say this is the context I was thinking of.
Like, oh, hey, like if I'm with Dan and he's like, oh, Dan. okay, get off the couch, Michelle.
I need you to blah, blah, blah.
I don't know if he needs me, if he needs help with something.
And I'm like, ah, I don't want to move.
I'm comfortable, right?
I might not want to say lazy.
Like maybe I'm not even that comfortable.
Maybe I'm just lazy.
I see.
That makes sense.
So let's keep going through the other examples and it'll become really clear for our listeners here.
Definitely.
So this one I remember from childhood.
I don't remember where I heard it.
Did you ever hear somebody described as vertically challenged?
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah.
What does that mean?
Vertically challenged.
So meaning you're short.
Yeah.
And I'm kind of short too.
I'm five foot four.
What's your height, Michelle?
I'm not even 5'3", so I'm short, too.
But I always kind of liked being on the shorter side.
Did you?
But you kind of have a voice of a tall person.
What?
You have a great mic voice.
Oh, thanks.
Yeah, I actually thought that you were taller before I met you.
That's funny.
I actually think that I thought you were.
It's always funny because we've been in the same place like so few times that it's weird when you're when you're 3D, Lindsay.
And I remember it is weird.
It is weird.
I'm like, oh, my gosh, I thought I was taller.
That's so funny.
That's so funny.
So I wonder if Jessica and Aubrey are taller.
Sure.
Oh, Jessica is taller.
She's like 5'8", I think, or 5'7".
I think so.
Aubrey, I don't actually really know.
So very interesting.
Very interesting.
Anyway.
Yeah.
So Lindsay and I are vertically challenged, but that's okay.
So.
Um, that's a.
That's a nice way to say.
Short, though again people, people can also make their own euphemisms, or?
Or they can be widely heard in conversation.
So but today, we're going to give you some more common ones.
So, Lindsay, what's the next one?
Yeah.
So the next one would be, so this idea of put to sleep.
Okay.
So when you're, especially for an animal.
Yeah.
So what is the euphemism for that?
Well, put to sleep is the euphemism.
Yes, yes, yes.
Sorry.
So euthanize, right?
It's like, you don't want to say like, oh, they had to euthanize my dog.
Like, that sounds terrible.
I mean, everybody knows what put to sleep means, but it just sounds, it's not as harsh sounding.
So if we say something like, oh, we had to put my dog to sleep because the vet said she was in pain.
Sorry for that terrible example, but no no no, i know what you mean.
I always, when i was a kid, and we also, we never had to put my cats to sleep.
But i remember going to the vet and hearing that word being thrown around and kind of being like wow, that sounds harsh Oh, euthanize.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not a word you want to hear.
I mean, yeah, everybody knows what put to sleep means.
Yeah.
Right?
But it's just not, it's something, it sounds worse to say it the other way.
Yeah, I used to work in a vet's office when I was a senior in high school.
I was a vet assistant.
And yeah, and I remember just, oh man, feeling so bad for the vet who had to do euthanasias, or I guess it's called euthanasia.
And just, I don't know, heartbreaking, right?
Because if you go into veterinary medicine, you love animals and then to have to do that.
Yeah, like it's such a big part of your job.
I know.
That's going to be hard.
I definitely couldn't do that.
Yeah, for sure.
Okay.
And this one's even worse.
Of course.
Yeah.
So this is a cheerful episode about euphemism.
This is much different from onomatopoeias when we're like crash, bang, boom.
Okay.
All right.
So this one is passed away.
Another cheerful one um, which means died, yeah for died right.
So like yeah yeah, so my great grandmother passed away last year Yeah, exactly.
So again, if you are on the speaking test in IELTS, to be able to say this, instead of just the simple textbook word of to die, if you can say passed away, it shows that really deeper understanding of the language.
And that examiner would be looking towards the seven or higher for vocab.
Okay, so good.
Yeah, so good.
Yeah.
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I like this next one.
It's interesting.
Between jobs.
Have you ever heard of somebody say I'm between jobs?
Yeah, this is definitely a euphemism.
And people will say it with like a smug look in their face a little bit sometimes, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Because it is pretty harsh to say I'm unemployed.
And people do still say it with pride right now.
I'm unemployed right now.
Right.
But at different times, I've heard people say I'm between jobs.
If you want it to sound a little bit less harsh, less direct.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
And unfortunately, yeah, a lot of people are unemployed now.
But yeah, I mean, sometimes people might say it as like a little bit of a joke, right?
Yeah, that's what I mean.
Yeah, exactly.
Kind of like, oh, I'm between jobs.
Right, right, right.
A nice way to say you don't have a job.
Yeah right, this next one is great.
I love this one.
So funny.
What is it all?
Right, so your birthday suit.
It basically means you're naked, because the day you're born you have no clothes, so you are naked right yeah um yeah, this one's fun.
What's an example sentence?
Um oh, i'm changing right now, so don't open the door.
I'm in my birthday suit yeah yeah, that's so fun, so fun.
Birthday suit.
It's a clever, it's a clever phrase, It is clever.
It is clever.
And then another time when people use, I mean, well, that last example as well.
I mean, I feel like a lot of times with kids, people might use euphemisms because, right?
Yeah, for sure.
Like, well, do you want to do the next one, Lindsay?
Yeah, the next one is the birds and the bees, right?
Yeah, this means basically sex, right?
But maybe you have a teenage son or you're trying to explain this stuff to your teenager and you use that phrase.
Like, I need to have a talk with my kids about the birds and the bees.
Or we're going to talk about the birds and the bees right now.
Charlie, I don't know.
Yeah.
It's kind of like you may feel a little uncomfortable, at least in American culture.
People may feel a little uncomfortable broaching that topic with their teenage kids.
So instead they use a word that's kind of like an analogy.
Kind of silly to not have to say the word.
Let's talk about sex.
Okay.
Right, right.
That sounds like, ah, I don't want to.
Or it also makes me think of the stork.
Oh, yeah.
What about that, Michelle?
So the stork is this idea.
I don't know if it's in other cultures, but sometimes when kids ask, like where do babies come from?
And they might say, oh, the stork brings them.
And that's basically.
You know that this bird comes and delivers the baby.
Because they don't want to say what you know, they want to avoid the actual topics.
Yeah, for sure.
I love it.
So very high level, very common, very natural and native.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I mean Lindsay, do you do?
I mean, why do you think we use euphemisms?
And what does this say about our culture?
Like, do you think we're trying to hide things or what?
Good question, Michelle.
So, yeah, think about it.
Death. loss of job and sex and being naked, right?
These are topics that people might feel shame around.
They might feel like they don't want to talk about directly.
And so that's why.
Because we want to play around with our words.
We don't want to have to say the word directly.
We may be embarrassed.
So we want to come up with another thing to say.
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
And I wonder if other cultures have this as well.
I wonder.
Yeah, you have to let us know about this because, you know, different.
I mean I, you know, talking about the birds and bees with your kids, you know, or you know like it's like a big deal and kind of feeling that shame or whatever.
Yeah.
I wonder something that people around the world feel.
Yeah.
Yeah, I guess I suspect that in certain cultures there's a lot less shame around talking about sex with teenage kids.
Like if you're a parent, you need to have that talk with your kids.
I have a feeling maybe that talk doesn't even happen because it's been intertwined in the conversation all along.
Right.
It's not true everywhere, though.
I mean I find that in certain families, like in the West or different California, it's less uptight than the East Coast.
And even that is a generalization, right?
It really depends on your family.
That's true.
Right.
But definitely in my family, we didn't talk about that stuff very much.
Neither in my family.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I would suspect that for our listeners in certain cultures, it's much less of a taboo topic.
But guys, let us know.
This would be really interesting to talk about.
Come back to Instagram.
Come back to our blog, 1424.
Type it in.
Leave a comment on the blog.
Definitely.
Okay.
Yeah, this is fun.
I mean, yeah, I think it's just we don't always want to be direct.
And I mean, that's just one of many ways to be less direct.
So I think a lot of people rely on it.
But I don't always think that we should just you know, shy away from saying the real thing if it's necessary.
Totally, totally.
I think we should get comfortable.
We should try to get comfortable with saying the thing.
The actual topic, like why do we have to?
I think it's a little like cheesy or maybe a little wimpy to say birds and the bees like right, it's kind of dodging the topic and it's taking the easy way out in some ways.
I mean, I think the phrase birthday suit is just funny and it's
Yeah, it is.
But this birds in the bees, I feel like it's just avoiding just saying the word and just say it.
You know what I mean?
That's what I write.
No, I agree with you.
I agree with you.
This sounds like something we could continue talking about another episode.
Yeah, for sure.
There's a lot.
There's a lot to say here.
But I think to help with that other episode, like we would definitely want to hear from our listeners.
There's more about that.
Yeah, guys.
So if you want a part two on this episode, there's a lot to dig into.
Leave some comments.
Give us something to respond to.
Ask a question.
And then we will do a part two for this one.
Definitely.
All right.
So Lindsay, what's the takeaway for today?
Well, I mean before we do the takeaway.
I just want to remind you guys again IELTS exam using euphemisms would instantly increase your score.
So to learn more about that, go over and subscribe to the IELTS Energy podcast.
That's a podcast by our team, All Ears English.
And to leave our listeners with the takeaway, euphemisms are a huge part of our culture.
So you should be able to use them.
Okay, there's a lot more than what we've just shared today right, michelle?
Yeah yeah yeah, there are tons.
There are tons.
Yeah, just google it and you'll find a lot.
And you know we can do follow-ups.
But yeah they're, they're very, they're very useful.
But you have to think about like, when is there?
At some point?
Am i just hiding?
You know?
Yeah yeah, Exactly.
So think about when you're using it and why you're using it.
And they're definitely okay to use.
Like there's no issue with using it, but you know, something that's just food for thought.
Yeah.
I mean, I think the key to becoming fluent and fearless for our listeners is to know the euphemism, know what it means, know how to use it.
And then make the choice depending on the situation.
Like how upfront do you want to be?
How direct do you want to be?
Who are you talking to?
What's the context?
That is fluency, right, Michelle?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, this has been a lot of fun, Lindsay.
And yeah, we'll hopefully talk more about this soon.
All right.
Talk to you soon.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye.
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