Euphanisms

It’s you who have no sense of humour BB can’t you tell when someone’s taking the piss?

I must plead guilty to calling the GSs Littlies when they were toddlers. But we are a tall family so they did look very little! Earlier this evening I was reading a comment from a woman who's baby had died. She talked about knowing that she was playing in God's garden and in that context it didn't seem toe curling at all, just rather lovely.

Years ago someone told me he was "just going to turn his bike round", I thought him a very strange man and why would he ?

switched of the light and reached to the other side
I must admit that at first I read that as meaning someone reached across and turned out the bedside light and thought 'ooh, that would annoy me if I was reading'.

I think 'passed away' is fine, 'passed' doesn't sound quite right somehow.

Although I don’t come from ooop north I agree with you Annsixty say things as they are
and in Australia they would call a spade a 'bloody shovel' but their cyclones still have names - some of them have male names as well as is only right and proper!

I found some north country euphemisms quite puzzling when I was first married. DH's mother would inform him that somebody from his village had died by saying, 'We buried old Frank last week'

I used to think, 'My God, I hope he was dead'

A bit like the old forces joke about informing a soldier on parade that a relative had died.

'Anyone with a mother step forward.... Private Jones, where do you think you're going?'

To take this a bit off topic & keep it light hearted. I once had a colleague who talked in "management speak". So we were constantly running things up the flagpole & seeing who saluted them & keeping our ducks in a row. Strangely now she has left I rather miss our blue sky thinking!

I am now reminded of the American phrase " bought the farm " it took me a long time to understand that.

Merlot

Here is a guide to Yorkshire euphemisms, compiled for the benefit of EU doctors working in the NHS in Doncaster.
I think my favourite is
“Barnsley’s at home” = “I’m menstruating”
www.pennine-gp-training.co.uk/res/yorkshire_slang_glossary.pdf

By gum JaneA I was born in Donnie and there are terms there I have never heard before.

Love it Jane though as a lass who was brought up on Lancashire side of Pennines I do know most of these.

As an aside: I wonder how the OP got the word 'euphuism' into her post. I remembered the word from my schooldays but only had a vague memory of its meaning. Dictionary definition: 'an artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking.' I think Euphues was a character in an Elizabethan romance. I imagine that our teacher was telling us not to confuse the word with 'euphemism'.
Sorry - once a pedant always a pedant.

Definition & synonyms
“a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
synonyms:polite term, substitute, mild alternative, indirect term, understatement, underplaying, softening, politeness, genteelism, coy term.”

I suppose it depends on whether you fall on the ‘softening’ side of the term or think euphemisms are ‘coy’. Is it ‘coy’ or ‘softenimg’ if you say your dog has been ‘put to sleep’ as an example?

And it’s probably down to a person’s individual character; those who like to ‘call a spade a spade’ and those who might prefer to call it a digging tool.

I think it’s upbringing. If I’d used euphemisms to refer to death I would have been pulled up sharply by my parents. On the other hand, some euphemisms for various bodily functions were used in my family, especially when we were children. When I was in hospital at the age of nine and a nurse asked if I had opened my bowels, I had no idea what she was talking about.

My reaction to being told someone has passed, is passed what? Driving test, exam, Go,

My family know that a curse has been laid upon them if they ever describe me as anything other than dead.

Well I'm guilty of having fur babies - my own real 'babies' have long since left home so our cats have replaced them in our lives in that we have to care for them and constantly worry about them

I have been enjoying this post very much, DD just came downstairs and as they have, a Hamster, 2 Cats and a Dog I asked her if they were her Fur Babies.
She gave me one of those looks and asked me if that was really tea I was drinking.
We had the silent mouthing when I was growing up, a conversation would be going on and suddenly the words would be mouthed rather than spoken.

...each to their own!!!!!

Yes indeed farview or even better ‘live and let live’.

JaneA, I grew up at Elsecar, but there are a few there that I haven`t heard before.

Yeah, ooop North is one that annoys me.

Me too fofo

Is ‘oop north’ ok then?

Haw abaaaat daaaan saaaaf then?