Sneaky words

How we’ve lied to ourselves: 10 euphemisms through time

Image: Jametlene Reskp

Euphemisms—those gentler, sometimes sneaky ways of saying uncomfortable truths—have existed for centuries. From avoiding taboos to sidestepping authority, these linguistic workarounds reveal just as much about human history as they do about language. Here are 10 curious euphemisms people have used through time to soften the blow.

Image: Parker Gibbs

Car dealerships began using "pre-owned" in the 1980s to make used cars sound more appealing.

It’s a marketing euphemism that implies care and quality rather than wear and tear. The term now appears in many industries beyond cars, like fashion and tech.

Image: Nick Fewings

Instead of saying someone was fired, companies began saying employees were "let go" by the mid-1900s.

The term gained popularity with the rise of HR departments, which adopted softer, more legally neutral language. It's now common in business communication to avoid confrontation.

Image: Huy Phan

"Senior citizen" first appeared in U.S. government documents in the 1930s and caught on with the creation of Social Security.

It added respectability to aging, shifting the public perception from decline to entitlement. Marketers also began using the term to appeal to older consumers without causing offense.

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This phrase came into use in the early 20th century, especially in households and media where bodily functions were taboo.

It's rooted in the Victorian habit of avoiding any mention of digestion or excretion. Even children's books adopted it to teach manners.

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There is nothing "friendly" about friendly fire. Used in military reports as early as World War II, "friendly fire" described tragic errors in combat.

The euphemism helps frame such incidents as blameless or unfortunate rather than negligent. It remains a standard term in NATO and Pentagon communications.

Image: Brian Wertheim

In a very British manner, the phrase was popularized by a government lawyer during the 1986 Spycatcher trial. It implies a partial or misleading truth—that is to say, a lie.

It has since become a political catchphrase in the English-speaking world. It softens accusations while still signaling dishonesty.

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Used by the military and intelligence agencies, especially during the Cold War, to obscure lethal actions.

The word likely became popular because it provided operational vagueness without the emotional weight of the actual deed. The phrase remains common in drone and covert operation briefings.

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The term "expecting" goes back to the 18th century and offered a modest way to mention pregnancy without referencing any bodily function.

It became standard among the middle and upper classes during times when discussing pregnancy openly was frowned upon.

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The phrase "passed away" emerged in the 15th century as a softer alternative to "died," linked to Christian ideas of entering the afterlife. A similar shift occurred with "departed," which has religious and poetic roots, implying a journey rather than an end.

Image: Hennie Stander

This phrase gained traction during economic downturns in the 1970s and ’80s, especially among white-collar workers.

It helped individuals maintain dignity and optimism during job searches. The euphemism is still widely used in professional networking.

Do you trust your mechanic?

Have you ever been told one of these 12 lies by a mechanic?

Image: Chad Kirchoff

In our modern world, where specialization is the norm and nobody is required to know about everything, we enlist the services of different people for all of the things that we don’t know how to do ourselves. Unless you are a mechanic or know quite a bit about the subject, fixing your vehicle is a task you delegate to more competent hands. As with everything in life, most of the mechanics out there are decent folks. But there’s always a rotten apple looking to scam innocent customers with fake repairs. Take a look at the following 12 possible examples. Have you witnessed any of these?

Image: Tim Mossholder

Many mechanics say that a car needs to have its oil changed every 3,000 miles. While this is true for some vehicles, most modern ones can often go much longer — up to around 7,500 miles — without an oil change. What matters is what the manufacturer recommends and what the dipstick color indicates.

Image: Anastase Maragos

While most modern cars certainly call for a four-wheel alignment, some mechanics will try to charge you for all four wheels even when they only do two of them. If, for example, the rear wheels haven’t been adjusted, this isn’t true.

Image: Laurel and Michael Evans

A fuel system service might be required sometimes. But it often happens that a mechanic will charge a customer somewhere between $249 to $449 for adding some fuel injector cleaner to the fuel tank, which can be accomplished by going to any store and buying a bottle for $10.

Image: Robert Laursoo

Many mechanics will try to get their customers to buy new tires, even if the old ones are just fine. Tires below 5mm of tread don’t necessarily need to be replaced right away, since the tread is there to remove water. Hence, if the driver is careful enough and drives slower in the rain, he or she can get many more miles out of the tire.

Image: Vlad Grebenyev

It goes without saying, that having reliable brakes is essential to ensuring a safe ride. But if a customer is being told that he or she needs them the moment they’re below 3mm, that purchase can be delayed for a little while longer, provided that the car is driven with care.

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A transmission fluid flush can be necessary at times, but it might not be as often as the mechanic claims. The customer should find out why the mechanic is suggesting it before actually doing it. A fluid and oil filter change might be enough.

Image: Garett Mizunaka

Since we are on the subject of flushing, if a mechanic tells you it’s time to flush your power steering fluid, consider getting a second opinion. Some mechanics say that the smell or color of the power steering fluid is how they’re able to tell it needs to be replaced, but commonly, it only needs to be flushed once or twice during the lifetime of the car.

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Yes, there are some advantages to using synthetic oil, but not every car calls for it. This can be checked in the owner’s manual. However, some mechanics might try to sell a customer on synthetic oil, simply because it is typically more expensive.

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If a vehicle is relatively new or it has recently had its coolant flushed, chances are there is no need to have it replaced again. Coolant doesn’t wear like oil does and only needs to be replaced maybe once or twice during the car’s lifetime.

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Some mechanics will prefer to get their money faster, from the customer, instead of getting it from the insurer, and to achieve this, they will say that a certain repair is not covered by the warranty when it is. The standard warranty covers both labor and parts, so make sure to check this with the insurer.

Image: Tim Mossholder

It has been reported that some unscrupulous mechanics keep dirty air filters on hand to pass off to customers to get them to pay for a new one.

To prevent falling for this type of scam, customers should know the filter on their car and find out how often it needs to be replaced.

Image: Angry._.Kat

This statement is sometimes uttered by mechanics looking to scare a customer, to make him or her pay for unneeded repairs. The truth is, these kinds of remarks should be taken with a grain of salt and a second opinion is advisable.