The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms

The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms Review

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The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms Feature

Until now, no dictionary has ever attempted to record the fascinating and often raunchy inventory of English sexual euphemisms.  Jordan Tate has confronted this task with gusto and the results are nothing short of gratifying.  The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms is a hilarious, unabashed, at times shocking compilation of every sexual euphemism you've ever heard--and many more you haven't. 
Would you be offended if someone called you a "back door burglar"? Ever heard of a "five against one"? Would you rather do the "Little Dutch Boy" or the "Little Red Riding Hood"?  Along with both a literal and a sexual definition of each euphemism, this dictionary also has photographs, and, of course, an example of each term used in a sentence--all in an effort to irreverently entertain and inform.
A perfect guilty pleasure for anyone who ever got a thrill looking up dirty words in the dictionary as a kid, the Contemporary Dictionary is also a must-have reference tool for those just plain too shy to ask what a "pearl necklace" really is.

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Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms

Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms Review

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Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms Feature

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.

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How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms

How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms Review

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How Not To Say What You Mean: A Dictionary of Euphemisms Feature

This thoroughly updated new edition of How Not to Say What You Mean celebrates 20 years of R. W. Holder's popular and successful dictionary of euphemisms, offering a delightful collection of jocular and evasive expressions for sex, death, murder, crime, prison, and much more.
Here are almost five thousand euphemistic expressions listed in alphabetical order, ranging from well-known favorites such as "push up the daisies," "fly-by-night," "red light district," "take to the cleaners," "get lucky," and "five-fingered discount," to less amusing expressions from the bureaucratic and military world such as "restructuring," "collateral damage," and "extrajudicial killing." For each word or expression, Holder includes examples from real authors, along with entertaining explanations of the words origins and meaning. Thus we learn that "bite the bullet" (to make a difficult decision) comes from the fact that soldiers, being flogged, were once given a bullet to bite down on, and "Stool Pigeon" (an informant) comes from the practice of tying a pigeon to a stool to lure other pigeons to capture.
New to this edition are over 250 new entries and fourteen introductory articles on major themes in euphemistic language, such as business, sex, death, and the human body. The book includes an extensive thematic index which groups words together under topics such as Age, Bankruptcy, Bribery, Copulation, Sexual Variations, Drunkenness, Erections and Orgasms, Farting, Funerals, Killing and Suicide, Low Intelligence, Politics, Prison, and Warfare.
From "suck the monkey" to "surgical strike," here is a wonderful collection of colorful words that allow us to avoid life's unpleasantries as we add spice and humor to our everyday speech.

"A must for tiptoeing around the truth. It is also rollicking reading for those who love words and the not always forthright uses to which they are put." --Chicago Sun-Times

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