What is a Euphemism?

George Carlin didn’t believe in sugarcoating anything. That’s what made his satire sting. In his book When Is Jesus Bringing the Pork Chops?, Carlin opens with a critique of how society uses euphemism to distance itself from discomfort.

“She doesn’t have a wart; she has a beauty mark. Right? Because pretending it’s lovely somehow makes it less gross.”

The point of euphemism is clear. It takes something that feels harsh, rude, or sad and replaces it with something gentler. It can be safer or even beautiful. In the right hands, it’s more than polite, it’s powerful.

EUPHEMISM IN LITERATURE & FILM

In Eric Roth’s film adaptation of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the young protagonist, Oskar, has experienced a profound loss. He has just lost his father in the 9/11 attacks. To cope, Oskar doesn’t say “I feel sad” or “I’m grieving.” He says, “I have heavy boots.”

That single euphemism carries a lot of emotional pain. It turns it into something softer. It makes it human, so we can all understand it.

Later, instead of cursing, he says: “Shitake.” It isn’t really a word. Well, it is a type of mushroom, but it’s a child’s invented euphemism. Not quite “shit,” but we know what he means. It’s funny and heartbreaking at the same time.

In my short screenplay, “Blue Dirt,” Evan, the antagonist, doesn’t say, “We’re going to repopulate this planet, whether you like it or not.” He says, “Procreate.”

The main character, Abbie, responds with Aposiopesis by saying, “So you think you’re just going to…”

To which Evan replies, “I’m hoping it doesn’t have to come to that and you’ll cooperate.”

“Procreation” is a calculated euphemism. It softens a predatory threat into clinical language. That’s where euphemism becomes especially effective: not just to shield from pain, but to disguise intent.

In all these examples, euphemism is doing double duty:

It builds tone – tender (heavy boots), clinical (procreate), comedic (beauty mark).

It also shapes the character’s voice, especially when the character can’t (or won’t) confront reality directly.

And it keeps the reader emotionally engaged while letting them fill in the blank.

Because euphemism is ultimately a form of metaphor, a comparison by substitution, it leads naturally into our next device.

Next week: how to create emotional layers through metaphor, used in nearly every unforgettable line in literature and film.

Happy Writing!

~~ M.C. Convery