All Topics  
Dysphemism

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Dysphemism
 
 
  Topics Dysphemism Topic Home

In language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
, both dysphemism (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 dys d?? "mis-" and pheme f?µ? "reputation") and cacophemism (in Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 kakos ?a??? "bad") refer to the usage of an intentionally harsh word or expression instead of a polite one; they are rough opposites of euphemism
Euphemism

A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener, or in the case of #Doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker....
. “Dysphemism” may be either offensive or merely humorously deprecating, while “cacophemism” is usually deliberately offensive.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Dysphemism'
Start a new discussion about 'Dysphemism'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Recent Posts

What is the line between sexual euphemisms and dysphemisms?








Encyclopedia


In language
Language

A language is a form of symbol communication in which elements are combined to represents something other than themselves. Language can also refer to the use of such systems as a general phenomenon....
, both dysphemism (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 dys d?? "mis-" and pheme f?µ? "reputation") and cacophemism (in Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 kakos ?a??? "bad") refer to the usage of an intentionally harsh word or expression instead of a polite one; they are rough opposites of euphemism
Euphemism

A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener, or in the case of #Doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker....
. “Dysphemism” may be either offensive or merely humorously deprecating, while “cacophemism” is usually deliberately offensive. (More recently, the Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n linguist Kate Burridge
Kate Burridge

Kate Burridge is a prominent Australian linguistics specialising in the Germanic languages. Burridge currently occupies the Chair of Linguistics in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University....
 has coined the term "orthophemism," to refer to a neutral name or expression.) Dysphemism is related to "blasphemy
Blasphemy

Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more Deity. It may include using sacred names as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters; it is also sometimes defined as language expressing disapproved beliefs, or disbelief....
," but is less focused in scope, and therefore not directly synonymous.

Examples of dysphemism include "lie
Lie

A lie , is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone's feelings or to avoid a punishment....
" for an inaccurate statement; and "dead tree edition" for the paper version of an online magazine.

Oddly, some humorous expressions can be either euphemistic or dysphemic, depending on context, because terms which can be dysphemic can also be affectionate. For example, pushing up daisies can be taken as either softer or harsher than died. Such variance can also be cultural; for instance, "twit" is a dysphemism for "idiot", but in British English
British English

British English or UK English is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere....
 is nearly always a humorous or affectionate term.

Examples


  • Fascist for someone who does not believe in fascism as such yet advocates for harsher laws or more power vested in a central authority
  • Junk
    Junk

    Junk may refer to:* Waste, any undesired thing or substance** Scrap, recyclable waste* Junk , a sailing vessel of Chinese originSlang and lingo:...
     (without real value, as in Junk food
    Junk food

    File:Luther Burger Google.jpgJunk food is an informal term applied to some foods which are perceived to have little or no nutritional value, or to products with nutritional value but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten, or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all....
     or Junk mail
    Junk mail

    Junk mail may refer to:* Advertising mail received through the post.* Spam * The Norwegian film Budbringeren * The Seinfeld episode, "The Junk Mail"...
    )
  • Idiot box (Television
    Television

    Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
    )
  • Crippled
    • as in Crippleware
      Crippleware

      Crippleware is any product whose functions have been limited with the express purpose of requiring the user to pay for those functions . Crippleware is also used to describe software that makes use of Digital Rights Management....
       (software with features limited or removed, also called broken)
    • the free software community
      Free software community

      The free software community is an informal term referring to the users and developers of free software as well as supporters of the free software movement....
       uses a number of dysphemic terms for liked or disliked software,
      such as Foistware
      Foistware

      Foistwareor BundleWare is Computer software bundled with completely unrelated programs. That means that there is no particular property in the software that makes it foistware, but rather the context in which it was installed....
       or Ransomware.
  • Dead tree edition (often original, printed version of on-line resource)
  • Bullshit
    Bullshit

    Bullshit is a common English Language expletive. It may be shortened to "bull" or the euphemism B.S. The term is common in American English....
     (for "lies" or "nonsense", or an unfair situation)
  • Revenue raising (for law enforcement by monetary fines)
  • Shit
    Shit

    Shit in its literal meaning is usually considered a vulgarity and profanity in English language. As a noun it refers to feces matter and as a verb it means to defecation or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea....
     (anything contemptible, also slang for "stuff")
  • SOS (Shit On Shingle) For any food where something creamy is poured over something hard. Usually this refers to chipped beef on toast
    Chipped beef on toast

    Chipped beef is a dried, smoked, and salted meat product. The modern product consists of small, thin, flexible leaves of partially dried beef, generally sold compressed together in jars or flat in plastic packets....
    , the dish that first got its name in military as SOS.
  • Shit for Brains (commonly used to refer to someone who is/has acted stupidly)
  • Meatspace
    Meatspace

    Meatspace is a word referring to real life or the real world, and conceived as the opposite of cyberspace or virtual reality.The term has appeared in in the Financial Times, in science fiction literature, specifically the cyberpunk genre....
     (referring to physical reality, as opposed to "cyberspace")
  • Snail mail
    Snail mail

    Snail mail is a dysphemism retronym ? named after the snail with its proverbially slow speed ? used to refer to letters and wiktionary:missive carried by conventional mail....
  • Stupidity tax for national lottery (due to the outrageous odds).


Many further examples can be found in a 'profanisaurus' published by 'Viz' magazine
Viz (comic)

Viz is a popular United Kingdom comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies the strait-laced British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy and either Sexual intercourse or violence storylines....
 -

See also

  • Hyperbole
    Hyperbole

    Hyperbole comes from ancient Greek "?pe?????" and is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is rarely meant to be taken literally....
  • Metaphor
    Metaphor

    Metaphor is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. It is a figure of speech that compares two or more things without using the words "like" or "as." More generally, a metaphor describes a first subject as being or equal to a second object in some way....
  • Euphemism
    Euphemism

    A euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener, or in the case of #Doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker....
  • Power word
    Loaded language

    Loaded language, also known as emotive language or high-inference language, is wikt:verbiage that attempts to influence the listener or reader by appealing to emotion....