A Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk

What do people with "differing abilities" think of that politically correct phrase? (A "special" education teacher won $50,000 for thinking it up!)

Has Watergate's "expletive deleted" found a permanent place in the language?

Why do turkeys have "drumsticks," and when was the word "rooster" invented?

What is the fine difference between "covert action" and "secret activity" as revealed in the Iran-Contra hearings?

The answers to this and a host of other provocative questions about language are revealed in this new, enlarged, and completely revised edition of Hugh Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk. This witty and sardonic guide to euphemisms and other forms of doubletalk includes thousands of words and phrases that camouflage true meanings.

These linguistic fig leaves, as they have been called, range from delicate evasions ("bosom," "unmentionables," and "the love that dare not speak its name") to monstrosities that are designed to disguise torture ("energetic interrogation,") sanitize war ("soft ordinance," not "napalm"), and cover up mass murder ("the Final Solution" and ethnic cleansing"). Completely cross-referenced and featuring a general introduction that tells how and why euphemisms are created, often in sequences as one tern succeeds another, this dictionary is especially valuable for its detailed attention to the origins of expressions and for its many examples of actual usage, showing the interplay between language and culture.

Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemism and Other Doubletalk will appeal to not only those who use words with care and who care about how they are used by others, but to the many people who enjoy browsing through collections of curious facts presented in entertaining, anecdotal fashion.