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Quiz about Euphemisms  Can You Recognize Them
Quiz about Euphemisms  Can You Recognize Them

Euphemisms: Can You Recognize Them? Quiz


A euphemism is a word or phrase which is perceived as a more pleasant substitute for an unpleasant word. For example, "correctional facility" is a euphemism for "jail". Here are some common euphemisms. Your job is to indicate what they mean.

A multiple-choice quiz by smeone. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
smeone
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
370,312
Updated
Jun 19 22
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
9 / 10
Plays
2697
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: mayescourse (9/10), Guest 64 (6/10), Guest 45 (0/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Your uncle is departed. Where has he gone? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. You tell your smart college friends that your grandfather used to be a sanitary engineer for a large office building. What did your grandfather really do? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Your niece tells you that she is unable to fly home from France to be with you all for Thanksgiving in Chicago because she is in the family way. What is wrong with her? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Your child's teacher has just accused your child of relaying misinformation. Can you guess what your child has just done? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A politician is telling us how upset he is about the collateral damage in a recent war. Obviously he is worried about how much military equipment was destroyed.



Question 6 of 10
6. Your sister is complaining because she has a temporary negative cash flow. What is her most likely problem? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. You are thinking of buying a wedding dress that has been previously loved. What kind of dress are you getting? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Your colleague was instantly fired, or should I say he was "let go", because he was viewing adult entertainment in the office. What was he doing? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. You are a junior student in a class at business school. The professor gives you a low grade because he says you need to experience a paradigm shift. What does he want you to do? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Your boss is evaluating your performance over the past year. She is very concerned that you seem to be struggling with too many incomplete challenges. What is she trying to say? Hint



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quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Your uncle is departed. Where has he gone?

Answer: He is dead

There are many euphemisms for the word "death". Sometimes it is deemed polite to use expressions such as "passed away", and most of us use our judgement on that for certain occasions. However, some expressions, such as "he is departed", or "I lost my grandmother", or "gone to meet his maker", can sometimes finish up sounding like that famous Monty Python skit wherein John Cleese comes up with dozens of euphemisms for his dead parrot - "he has gone to join the choir invisible"!
2. You tell your smart college friends that your grandfather used to be a sanitary engineer for a large office building. What did your grandfather really do?

Answer: Janitor

There are plenty of these euphemisms to go around these days. For example, a person is no longer a sales assistant or a sales clerk, but is a "sales associate". That sounds much more elevated even though they might only be paid minimum wage and have absolutely no input into their employment conditions or any share in the profits of the company.

And what about "disadvantaged" rather than poor? I was poor growing up. Our family in no way felt "disadvantaged". We had work; we were happy; we had fun! We just didn't have a lot of money.
3. Your niece tells you that she is unable to fly home from France to be with you all for Thanksgiving in Chicago because she is in the family way. What is wrong with her?

Answer: She is pregnant

There are lots of euphemisms for "pregnant". Some are "expecting", "a bun in the oven", "knocked up", and so on. Interesting how these last two in this list are unpleasant and derogatory, but some people prefer to use them instead of the correct clinical term, "pregnant". Sometimes the French word "enceinte" is used, rather than plain English. Surely this unwarranted delicacy is leftover from puritanical/Victorian times?
4. Your child's teacher has just accused your child of relaying misinformation. Can you guess what your child has just done?

Answer: Lied by saying the dog ate his homework

At the risk of sounding disrespectful, euphemisms for the word "lying" probably originated with politicians! So many of them seem to "mis-remember", "mis-speak" themselves, or are "economical with the truth". Even the word "fib" is made to give lies a lesser moral weight. And what about "white lies"? Think about it.
5. A politician is telling us how upset he is about the collateral damage in a recent war. Obviously he is worried about how much military equipment was destroyed.

Answer: False

"Collateral damage" is a term, the invention of which has been attributed to the American CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), which actually means the death of innocent civilians, including women and children, during acts of war. "Collateral damage" is also seen as the unavoidable impact of trying to bomb military targets that are close to civilian populations.
6. Your sister is complaining because she has a temporary negative cash flow. What is her most likely problem?

Answer: She is broke.

This type of euphemism for being broke is understandable. Sometimes we are broke because we cannot manage our money very well. It is easier to sound like a passive victim, isn't it?

However, when financial/political/educational institutions start to use euphemisms for lack of cash, better watch out! There will be "down-sizing", "right-sizing", or "retrenchments" on the way.

A temporary negative cash flow, when used as a statement of fact rather than euphemistically, does not, of course, imply destitution. One could have a healthy balance which provides a cushion for the temporary losses.
7. You are thinking of buying a wedding dress that has been previously loved. What kind of dress are you getting?

Answer: A second-hand or used dress

This idea of second-hand or used items being "previously owned" or "previously loved", or "new to you", is a recent innovation. We are all pretty delicate in our sensibilities it would appear. Could the folks who sell "used" cars have started this trend?

I think used wedding dresses are a good idea - good for the environment and good for the budget. Such an expensive item for one day.
8. Your colleague was instantly fired, or should I say he was "let go", because he was viewing adult entertainment in the office. What was he doing?

Answer: Watching pornography on the office computer

This is a firing offense in any company with any moral and/or human rights standards. Many companies terminate immediately for this. However, there is a mis-conception out there about employee privacy at the office. Some think that their work computers and offices are private. Strictly speaking, activities unrelated to work, such as watching "Breaking Bad" and sending any magazine articles to your spouse, are issues which could "affect your employment relationship" with your employer.

As for watching a rehearsal for the office concert, who would want to do that?
9. You are a junior student in a class at business school. The professor gives you a low grade because he says you need to experience a paradigm shift. What does he want you to do?

Answer: Think about old stuff in new ways

"Paradigm shift" is more a buzz-word than a euphemism. However, it can qualify for the latter, since people are starting to use it conversationally outside of professional situations. When your grand-mother starts chastising you about your needing a paradigm shift, you know something is wrong with the language.

Part of the change we see taking place with euphemisms is that, in the creation of buzzwords or phrases such as these, the speaker is made to sound more elevated and knowledgeable. So instead of the fact being made more pleasant, the simple is being made to sound more complicated.
10. Your boss is evaluating your performance over the past year. She is very concerned that you seem to be struggling with too many incomplete challenges. What is she trying to say?

Answer: You are incompetent

No one wants to tell an employee that they are not doing a good job. However, if you aren't doing a good job, you probably would prefer to hear it straight. In fact, if recognizing euphemism is not your strongest point, you may not even get the hint that you are about to be fired, or should I say "let go"?

On the other hand, perhaps your boss does think you are playing too many Fun Trivia games in the office. Again, wouldn't it be better to say so to avoid any possible confusion about your work performance?
Source: Author smeone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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