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Euphemism - noun

  1. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.
  2. the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”.

Is this correct? "To pass away" is thought to be offensive, while "to die" is mild?

Alex
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The Student
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    It's correct, you just have it backwards. "To pass away" is less blunt than "to die". – z7sg Ѫ Aug 21 '15 at 17:04
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    Tom, you might like to look at this page ,which I think addresses your question. – Margana Aug 21 '15 at 17:04
  • @Margana the link explain "“Substitute…for…”—first replaces second; ok, but here it says "substitution of...for...", the substitution of is still the first replaces the second? Sounds really confusing for me... I understand that euphemism is to use a mild term, instead of a blunt one, but the dictionary definition looks like to say the oposite. – The Student Aug 21 '15 at 20:07
  • @Margana the answer from user39813 there is the best for me :) – The Student Aug 21 '15 at 20:31
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    @Tom: Ok. I think what's bothering you is the difference between the usage for a verb and that for a noun. As you say in your comment, both examples give "for", so they agree on that. The reason one uses "of" and not the other is that in: "To subsititue A for B", "substitute" is a verb. In "the substitution of A for B", "substitution" is a noun, which needs to be connected to its object with "of". So, "Substitute A for B" = "The substitution of A for B". Is this helpful? – Margana Aug 21 '15 at 20:36
  • @z7sgѪ I apologise. I realise I have made the confusion worse by referring to the dictionary entry as though it was the OP's own wording. I am going to delete my comment as it is clearly not helpful. Your first comment is correct, and I have up-voted it. – WS2 Aug 21 '15 at 23:20
  • @TomBrito - "A is a euphemism for B" means "A is a milder replacement for B." – aparente001 Aug 23 '15 at 20:58
  • @WS2 No worries, looks like OP is happy now. :) – z7sg Ѫ Aug 24 '15 at 09:00

1 Answers1

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You have it mixed up. "To die" is considered blunt, while "To pass way" is considered a milder way of putting it (euphemism).

MRS30
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