Euphemism: The Good Speech - Rhetoric Series | Academy 4 Social Change
Euphemism: Worksheet
Section One: Match the following euphemisms (left) to their meaning (right):
1. golden years
2. capital punishment
3. casualty
4. comfortable
5. going under
6. sparse on top
7. comfort station
8. correctional facility
9. secure facility
10. deliver ordinance
11. disadvantaged
12. fabrication
13. mobile home
14. between jobs
15. laid off
a. execution
b. unemployment
c. public toilet
d. drop bombs/fire missiles
e. trailer
f. rich
g. lie
h. poor
i. fired
j. prison
k. old age
l. bald
m. failing financially
n. victim
o. escape-proof jail
Section Two: Choose one of the above euphemisms and address the following questions:
1. How did the euphemistic term’s effect on you differ from that of its plain-term
meaning?
2. What associations did the euphemism and its meaning bring to mind? How did they
differ?
3. Could this euphemism be misleading? Why or why not?
4. When would you use this euphemism? When would you use its plain meaning? Why?
