One of the best things about reading is that one constantly learns new words and adds them to one’s vocabulary. My personal favorite new word is dysphemism.
Merriam-Webster defines dysphemism as “the substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an agreeable or inoffensive one.” I never before knew there was an actual word for such a substitution.
I believe many dysphemisms are uttered in anger and are meant to convey that anger. For example, a father who is ticked off at his daughter for living with her boyfriend out of wedlock might say, “I can’t believe you’re shacking up with him!” In this instance, “shacking up” is the dysphemism, replacing “living” or “cohabitating” or any other less offensive term.
Or perhaps a police officer might say to a man acting up in public, “We’re going to send you to the loony bin upstate,” when the police officer means a mental hospital. You guessed it–“loony bin” is the dysphemism here.
There is another kind of dysphemism–the word or expression that was coined as a euphemism (an agreeable or inoffensive one) but, through repeated use, became more negative than the word it replaced.
One of the best examples of this, in my opinion, is the word issues. Let’s face it–people don’t have problems anymore; they have issues. “She has abandonment issues.” “He has anger issues.” “Dude, you have issues!” See how negative the last example sounds?
Another is challenges, which is meant to replace “disabilities” or the antiquated “handicaps.” “He has physical challenges and that is why he has trouble walking.” Or “She has mental challenges, but IQ tests are so insignificant.” People have turned that expression into a joke: “I am technologically challenged,” quips a person who isn’t good at using computers. Ugh.
I could go on a long time with other examples, but I don’t want to bore you to death.
What are your favorite (or least favorite) examples of dysphemisms?