Date:  Tue, 25 Oct 1994 17:27:37 -0400

From:  "Bethany Dumas, UTK" <DUMASB[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UTKVX.BITNET>

Subject: Euphemisms



Roger Vanderveen raises several intersting issues in his series of Qs to

me in response to my item about "that word in the south." I shall

respond to them individually. First: can any word be a euphemism apart

from being a euphemism in its context? That question would never have

occurred to me, since I think that words always derive their meanings from the c

  contexts in which they occur. The word "conservative" cannot possibly be a

euphemism, it seems to me, apart from the way it is being used ia a specific

context. But I think that the same thing is true of any other content

word.