Tagged: Books

In the second part of my interview with Ralph Keyes we discuss why we do it - why we use so many euphemisms. We have some very good reasons and some bad ones.

We say and hear euphemisms every day. They enhance our conversations but they also can disguise what we really are trying to say.

Ralph Keyes is the author of 16 books. A graduate of Antioch College, Keyes hosted a music show on WYSO back in 1962. He is on the board of the Antioch Writer's Workshop. He lives in Yellow Springs.

Euphemistic language is a staple of polite conversation. We use euphemisms to dance around delicate subjects. We say someone has "passed away" when we don't wish to say that they have died. We refer to the "restroom" when we don't want to say that we are headed off to the toilet. The term "friendly fire" is a military euphemism for the unfortunate occasions when soldiers have killed their fellow soldiers by mistake.