Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk: Being a Compilation of Linguistic Fig Leaves and Verbal Flourishes for Artful Users of the E - Rilegato

Rawson, Hugh

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0517702010 ISBN 13: 9780517702017

Casa editrice: Crown Pub, 1995

Riassunto

This witty and sardonic guide to euphemisms and other forms of doubletalk includes thousands of words and phrases that camouflage true meanings. These linguistic fig leaves, as they have been called, range from delicate evasions ("bosom," "unmentionables," and "the love that dare not speak its name") to monstrosities that are designed to disguise torture ("energetic interrogation"), sanitize war ("soft ordnance," not "napalm"), and cover up mass murder ("the Final Solution" and "ethnic cleansing").
Completely cross-referenced and featuring a general introduction that tells how and why euphemisms are created, often in sequences as one term succeeds another, this dictionary is especially valuable for its detailed attention to the origins of expressions and for its many examples of actual usage, showing the interplay between language and culture.
Rawson's Dictionary of Euphemisms and Other Doubletalk will appeal not only to those who use words with care and who care about how they are used by others, but to the many people who enjoy browsing through collections of curious facts presented in entertaining, anecdotal fashion.

Su questo libro

L'autore:

Hugh Rawson is director of Penguin Reference Books at Penguin USA.

Dalla seconda/terza di copertina:

s celebrated language book in a new edition updated with more than 600 new entries. "Rawson is no dry lexicographer but a brother-in-arms of Ambrose Bierce, Dr. Johnson, and H. L. Mencken, God rest their crusty souls."--Chicago Sun-Times.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Crown Pub
• Data di pubblicazione: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0517702010
• ISBN 13: 9780517702017
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 473
• Redattore: Aymar Brandt