Wobbly Bits and Other Euphemisms

by John Ayto

Wobbly Bits is the essential guide to polite conversation. Covering everything from the politically incorrect to the seriously taboo, this humorous book offers over 3,000 ways to avoid speaking your mind!

Wobbly Bits and Other Euphemisms

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: A&C Black

ISBN: 9780713678406

Page: 352

View: 330

Wobbly Bits is the essential guide to polite conversation. Covering everything from the politically incorrect to the seriously taboo, this humorous book offers over 3,000 ways to avoid speaking your mind! Keep this book as your secret weapon (that 'distinguished, cosmetically different person of size' your friend keeps mentioning might just not be your ideal date!), and you'll never be caught out again! Subjects covered include crime, sins, sex, the body and its parts, clothing and nakedness, bodily functions and secretions, illness and injury, old age and death, work, poverty, government and politics, warfare and race.

Unmentionables

by Ralph Keyes

Any book such as this one draws on the work of others. ... Mass Education
conference (Baltimore, August 1998) Ayto, John, Wobbly Bits and Other
Euphemisms (London: A & C Black, 2007) Bache, Richard Meade, Vulgarisms
and Other Errors ...

Unmentionables

Author: Ralph Keyes

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 1848544561

Page: 300

View: 755

We say a lot about ourselves by what we don't say. Words and phrases like 'collateral damage', 'wardrobe malfunction', 'vertically challenged', and old favourites like 'unmentionables' (trousers, apparently) or 'lady of the night' - all are ways of not using particular words. UNMENTIONABLES is a rollicking exploration of the history of euphemistic usage, looking at how taboos connected to sex, death, religion, war, politics, business and matters of status have produced an extraordinary linguistic creativity, and how euphemistic speech has changed over the centuries. It looks at how euphemisms are born, and how they die (or 'experience a negative outcome') and it explores why it is that we create euphemisms, and the different purposes - from the benign to the sinister - that they serve. (Is 'euphemism' a euphemism for lying?) Lively, entertaining, and crammed with fascinating nuggets of information, UNMENTIONABLES is a celebration of the richness of language. Why have just one word for something when you can have ten other words instead?

Sex in Language

by Eliecer Crespo-Fernández

Euphemistic and Dysphemistic Metaphors in Internet forums Eliecer Crespo-
Fernández ... Ayto, J. (2007), Wobbly Bits and Other Euphemisms: Over 3,000
Ways to Avoid Speaking Your Mind, London: A & C Black. Barcelona, A. (ed.) (
2000a) ...

Sex in Language

Author: Eliecer Crespo-Fernández

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

ISBN: 1472596544

Page: 240

View: 196

Metaphor has long provided a rich way to speak about the unspeakable, to refer to delicate issues. Sex is one such area. This book follows a cognitive-linguistic and relevance-theoretic approach to the language of sex, considering metaphor as a bridge that brings together mind and language. It does this through the analysis of the antithetical mechanisms of verbal mitigation and offence. These two mechanisms are (more commonly know as) euphemism and (its lesser known companion term) dysphemism. The volume reflects on the social and communicative functions that sexual metaphors perform in a sample of almost two hundred postings taken from internet forums. How do people think about sex? How do people avoid talking about sex? How do people paraphrase sexual topics? It offers an account of how real language users understand sexual taboo in present-day English and also a great grounding in manual corpus work on a qualitative level.

Euphemania

by Ralph Keyes

Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used as Shield and Weapon. ... “
Downsizing, Rightsizing, and Other Euphemisms: The Questionable Ethics
ofSomeCorporate Communications.” Paper ... Wobbly Bits andOtherEuphemisms
.

Euphemania

Author: Ralph Keyes

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 0316121959

Page: 288

View: 428

How did die become kick the bucket, underwear become unmentionables, and having an affair become hiking the Appalachian trail? Originally used to avoid blasphemy, honor taboos, and make nice, euphemisms have become embedded in the fabric of our language. Euphemania traces the origins of euphemisms from a tool of the church to a form of gentility to today's instrument of commercial, political, and postmodern doublespeak. As much social commentary as a book for word lovers, Euphemania is a lively and thought-provoking look at the power of words and our power over them.

Aitchison s Linguistics

by Jean Aitchison

Ayto, John, Wobbly bits and other euphemisms (London: A & C Black, 2007).
Over 3,000 euphemisms arranged under topics, such as crime, sex, warfare. Ayto
, John and Simpson, John, Stone the crows: Oxford dictionary of modern slang,
2nd ...

Aitchison s Linguistics

Author: Jean Aitchison

Publisher: Hachette UK

ISBN: 144413146X

Page: 272

View: 320

This classic book is a straightforward introduction to linguistics which attempts to answer two fundamental questions: 'What is language?' and 'How does language work?' It outlines the scope of linguistics, explaining basic concepts and essential terminology with examples drawn mainly from English. Sound patterning, syntax and meaning - the inner core of linguistics - are discussed simply and clearly, as are the rapidly growing areas of pragmatics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and stylistics. You will find this contemporary, easy-to-read book essential to broadening your understanding of the subtleties and power of language. NOT GOT MUCH TIME? One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started. AUTHOR INSIGHTS Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the author's many years of experience. TEST YOURSELF Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress. EXTEND YOUR KNOWLEDGE Extra online articles at www.teachyourself.com to give you a richer understanding of linguistics. FIVE THINGS TO REMEMBER Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts. TRY THIS Innovative exercises illustrate what you've learnt and how to use it.

Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms

by John Ayto

Offers entries for over six thousand idioms, including seven hundred new to this edition, and provides background information, additional cross-references, and national variants.

Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 019954378X

Page: 408

View: 368

Offers entries for over six thousand idioms, including seven hundred new to this edition, and provides background information, additional cross-references, and national variants.

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms

by John Ayto

More than 400 idioms have been added to this new edition, and comprise recently coined and common sayings alike.

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0192584383

Page: 448

View: 156

What is it to 'cock a snook', where is the land of Nod, and who was first to go the extra mile? Find the answers to these questions (and many more!) in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms. This dictionary uncovers the meanings of myriad phrases and sayings that are used daily in the English language, encompassing more than 10,000 figurative expressions, similes, sayings, and proverbs. More than 400 idioms have been added to this new edition, and comprise recently coined and common sayings alike. New additions include 'back of the net', 'drag and drop', 'go it alone', 'how come?', 'if you ask me', 'make your skin crawl', and 'woe betide'. Illustrative quotations sourced from the Oxford corpora give contextual examples of the idioms and their standard usage, and many entries include background information on the origins of the idiom in question. An updated thematic index makes for easy navigation, and anyone who is interested in the origins and diversity of English vernacular will have hours of fun browsing this fascinating dictionary.

Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang

by John Ayto

Offering coverage of over 6,000 slang words and expressions from the Cockney 'abaht' to the American term 'zowie', this is the most authoritative dictionary of slang from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 0199232059

Page: 408

View: 674

Offering coverage of over 6,000 slang words and expressions from the Cockney 'abaht' to the American term 'zowie', this is the most authoritative dictionary of slang from the 20th and 21st centuries.

From the Horse s Mouth

by John Ayto

This edition also features a greatlyincreased number of cross-references, making it ideal for quick reference.Many entries include additional features which give more detailed background on the idiom in question.

From the Horse s Mouth

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN: 0199543798

Page: 408

View: 527

Did you know that 'flavour of the month' originated in a marketing campaign in American ice-cream parlours in the 1940s, when a particular flavour would be specially promoted for a month at a time? And did you know that 'off the cuff' refers to the rather messy practice of writing impromptu notes on one's shirt cuff before speaking in public? These and many more idioms are explained and put into context in this third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Idioms. The volume takes a fresh look at the idiomatic phrases and sayings that make English the rich and intriguing language that it is. This major new edition contains entries for over 6000 idioms, including 700 entirely new entries, based on Oxford's language monitoring and the ongoing third edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. These include a range of recently established idioms such as 'the elephant in the corner', 'go figure', 'like a rat up a drainpipe', 'sex on legs', 'step up to the plate', 'too posh to push', 'a walk in the park', 'win ugly'. This edition also features a greatly increased number of cross-references, making it ideal for quick reference. Many entries include additional features which give more detailed background on the idiom in question. For example, did you know that 'taken aback' was adopted from nautical terminology that described a ship unable to move forward because of a strong headwind pressing its sails back against the mast? Anyone interested in the colourful side of the Englishlanguage will get hours of fun browsing from this fascinating and informative volume.

Stone the Crows

by John Ayto

Stone the Crows

Author: John Ayto

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

ISBN:

Page: 408

View: 151

Drawing on the unique resources of the Oxford English Dictionary and offering coverage of over 6,000 slang words and expressions from the Cockney 'abaht' to the American term 'zowie', Stone the Crows is the most lively and authoritative dictionary of slang from the 20th and 21st centuries.

New Statesman Society

by

... involves groups of reassuringly ordinary women being initiated into various
arts of femininity—make-up, convenience cookery, exercises to work off "those
wobbly bits"—by a female ... The use of baby talk and twee euphemism is
revealing.

New Statesman Society

Author:

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page:

View: 703

The Spectator

by

imagine nothing more irritating to antagonists than to tell them Here is another
instance , taken from the conversation of ... but with our author's licence ,
euphemisms be fully persuaded in his own mind that those opinions do not have
been ... Take , as a last sample , this bit of revelation . ... We Collywobble , Mr.
Commissary Sparefeed , Tom Plethora , Mrs. Col. put all we know and think
about the Divine ...

The Spectator

Author:

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page:

View: 713

The Oxford Duden German Dictionary

by Dudenredaktion (Bibliographisches Institut)

This revised edition includes a full supplement detailing the changes to the German spelling system ratified in 1996.

The Oxford Duden German Dictionary

Author: Dudenredaktion (Bibliographisches Institut)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISBN: 9780198601326

Page: 1712

View: 664

The highly acclaimed Oxford-Duden German Dictionary provides authoritative, comprehensive, and up-to-date coverage of modern English and German. The text has been designed to meet the needs of both English and German speakers, whether they wish to write or speak the foreign language ortranslate from it. This revised edition includes a full supplement detailing the changes to the German spelling system ratified in 1996. Over 260,000 words and phrases and 450,000 translations Comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the general vocabulary of contemporary German and English Hundreds of example sentences showing words in use Extensive guidance on the selection of the correct translation Explanation of terms for which cultural or other differences prevent an exact translation Coverage of British and American English, and the German of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland Detailed grammatical information, including irregular plurals and past tenses Helpful appendices on a wide variety of subjects including: grammar, numerical expressions, weights and measures, and a letter-writing guide

The Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

by Oxford University Press

The Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

Author: Oxford University Press

Publisher: OXFORD University Press

ISBN:

Page: 514

View: 366

Authoritative, accessible, and completely up to date, The Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms is an invaluable guide for anyone wanting to build their vocabulary and improve their writing skills. Over 140,000 alternative and opposite words are given with the closest, most frequentlyused synonyms listed first; in addition thousands of real-life examples of usage from the Oxford English Corpus enable the reader to pinpoint the relevant word quickly and easily.Also included are some useful appendices designed to improve your knowledge of the language: a new Wordfinder section offers a selection of thematic lists - from chemical elements and clothing to phobias and flowers - and a Common Confusables supplement explains the crucial differences betweensimilar words that are often mixed up.

The New York Times Theatre Reviews 1999 2000

by New York Times Theater Reviews

It may be the ing that the other couples in this first ( and last ) movie in which the
bedroom farce , constructed in the word ... Mr . Ackerman seems to way
production at the Actors ' Playbelieve that euphemistic discussions house ,
makes the movie ... Then , by the light of a single candle ( and an usher ' s less
than adequate flashlight ) you cross a wobbly floor to a ... of NN " sounds a bit like
a recent addition to the bill of fare at Universal Studios , it sometimes seems to be
exactly that .

The New York Times Theatre Reviews 1999 2000

Author: New York Times Theater Reviews

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

ISBN: 9780415936972

Page: 625

View: 976

This volume is a comprehensive collection of critical essays on The Taming of the Shrew, and includes extensive discussions of the play's various printed versions and its theatrical productions. Aspinall has included only those essays that offer the most influential and controversial arguments surrounding the play. The issues discussed include gender, authority, female autonomy and unruliness, courtship and marriage, language and speech, and performance and theatricality.

The Pedagogical Seminary

by

However , the large majority of terms used are repressive and euphemistic . ...
The drinker is afflicted , all at sea , a bit on , concerned , disguised , in his
altitudes , exalted , gilded , glorious , salubrious , chirping merry . ... far - fetched
and the ideation narrow so that its relevance is no longer apparent ; in others , a
part is selected to dominate the whole process ... The place where liquor is sold
is a devil ' s house , a gargle factory , a roostingken , an O - be - joyful works , a
wobble - shop .

The Pedagogical Seminary

Author:

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page:

View: 937

Vols. 5-15 include "Bibliography of child study," by Louis N. Wilson.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology

by Carl Allanmore Murchison

However , the large majority of terms used are repressive and euphemistic . A
man in ... The drinker is afflicted , all at sea , a bit on , concerned , disguised , in
his altitudes , exalted , gilded , glorious , salubrious , chirping merry . ... In some
cases the association is far - fetched and the ideation narrow so that its relevance
is no longer apparent ; in others , a ... The place where liquor is sold is a devil ' s
house , a gargle factory , a roostingken , an O - be - joyful works , a wobble - shop
.

The Journal of Genetic Psychology

Author: Carl Allanmore Murchison

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page:

View: 279

Vols. 5-15 include "Bibliography of child study. By Louis N. Wilson."

Britslang

by Ray Puxley

A piece of excrement stuck to an anal hair , another version of ' clinker ' ( qv ) . ...
A euphemism for piss from a time when the word was considered bad language ,
when a child may have ' wissed himself and the old man may have come home ...

Britslang

Author: Ray Puxley

Publisher: Robson Books Limited

ISBN:

Page: 547

View: 908

In true Cockney style Ray Puxley has produced a wonderfully entertaining and authoritative A-Z of the best of British slang. Combining a rich source of old familiar expressions with many colourful new ones including 'con charge', 'bling-bling', 'kipper' and 'snoutcast', he takes a humorous, non-academic (and full frontal!) approach to the origins and meanings of this language of the street, the bar and the underworld, a phenomenon that has permeated all aspects of our language from dotcoms to school playgrounds.

Waitrose Food Illustrated

by

... is a euphemism for the kind of thing that would be better used to propel buses
around Stockholm down my chewed a bit and spat out , like chewing gum . ... the
word can be stretched in one direction to mean blinis with sour cream and
Sevruga , or in the other to mean soggy Ritz ... Wobbly , chewy urchin , uncuttable
by human incisor , hung from my mouth ; the seaweed then wouldn't break ;
green ...

Waitrose Food Illustrated

Author:

Publisher:

ISBN:

Page:

View: 857