victor Flashcards
euphemism
Pardon me, but when a polite term is substituted for a blunt, offensive one, you should call it a euphemism.
Euphemism is from Greek euphemismos, meaning “good speech,” and it’s a way that we paper over uncomfortable things with more pleasant-sounding words. These days we tend to use euphemisms when talking about anything having to do with elimination of bodily waste: toilet, bathroom, and water closet were all originally euphemisms. The military is also notorious for using euphemisms, like saying “neutralizing the target” instead of “killing someone.”
تعبیر
endemic
If you want to underscore just how commonly found and present something is within a particular place, try the word endemic. The saguaro cactus is endemic, or native, to the American southwest — so watch out for its sharp spines when you’re hiking in Arizona!
بومی
dessicate
The verb desiccate means to dry out, dry up and dehydrate. It’s helpful to desiccate weeds but certainly not crops.
خشک کردن
idiosyncrasy
If a person has an idiosyncrasy, he or she has a little quirk, or a funny behavior, that makes him or her different. If you only say goodbye in French, never in English, that would be an idiosyncrasy.
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