# Euphemisms and terms that are confusing in context **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684 "2013-04-03T00:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/1 "2013-04-03T00:59:12Z")
My friend on Facebook was lamenting how another student she knew “passed”. As how he wasn’t always the nicest, but she felt bad for him. Why is she acting like him passing a class is something to feel bad for hi… oh, he passed as in _died_ I get it. Derp. Still, despite being a perfectly cromulent euphemism for “dying”, in the context of a student it’s easy to get it confused. Any other examples? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/2 "2013-04-03T04:27:53Z")
I saw an article on CNN today about how evil the “W” word is and how nobody with a conscience would ever use it or even type it out. I read the article trying to figure out what the “W” word was, Wigger? Wop? Turns out it was wetback, which I realize should have been easier to figure out with the latest news, but that just wasn’t forefront in my mind. But completely inventing a confusing phrase for a headline just to make another magic evil word seems like the worst of Euphamisticism. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/3 "2013-04-03T12:27:07Z")
I also was wondering what the W-word was, but I did guess at what it was given recent news when I saw the headline. If not for the recent news, I would have been totally clueless. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/4 "2013-04-03T13:51:14Z")
Seamen ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/5 "2013-04-03T15:53:43Z")
A few months back I as feeling ill. When my wife and her friend picked me up from work, my wife asked me what was wrong. I told her I’d lost my lunch. Her friend then asked: 'Well, do you remember where you last had it?" ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/6 "2013-04-03T16:18:08Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > A few months back I as feeling ill. When my wife and her friend picked me up from work, my wife asked me what was wrong. I told her I’d lost my lunch. Her friend then asked: 'Well, do you remember where you last had it?" Reminds me of that '50’s cartoon where the “hep cat” goes to heaven and Saint Peter can’t understand anything he’s saying. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/7 "2013-04-03T16:38:28Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > A few months back I as feeling ill. When my wife and her friend picked me up from work, my wife asked me what was wrong. I told her I’d lost my lunch. Her friend then asked: 'Well, do you remember where you last had it?" Many years ago my uncle complained someone ripped off his glasses. My great aunt said “Oh no, I hope they didn’t get broken.” ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2013, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euphemisms-and-terms-that-are-confusing-in-context/654684/8 "2013-04-03T17:02:08Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Euphamisticism. I have made note of this word, and will use it at the next opportunity. And probably any other opportunities thereafter. (I’ll spell it “euphemysticism”, though, because I’m picky that way.)