Today I’d like to look at some terms that don’t make sense to me, ones we use to soften the real meaning (why?) Yet we all use them.
Pass away: I’ll accept this one for the sake of loved ones, although most people don’t slowly and gently “pass” into death.
Gentleman’s club: Come on–it’s a strip joint! A gentleman, in the old sense of the word–and it IS an old fashioned concept–wouldn’t be caught passing away in such a place.
Assaulted: This is a blanket term for everything from a mugging to a groping of a woman’s breast to rape. I don’t like it because it minimizes the violent crime of rape. Yes, they’ll eventually call a rape a “sexual assault,” which still diminishes the crime. Rape is rape!
Touched inappropriately: No, she was groped or had some other physical advance perpetrated on her against her will. “Touched” sounds so gentle, and “inappropriately” sounds like there’s an appropriate way to do it.
Near miss: Not really. The two airplanes nearly collided. If it was a near miss, they would have crashed into each other. But barely missing something makes us more comfortable than almost becoming vulture food.
Okay. I’ll climb off my stack of dictionaries–for now.