- euphemism
- the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt
- dysphemism (or cacophemism)
- the substitution of a harsh, disparaging, or unpleasant expression for a more neutral one
- orthophemism
- the use of a neutral expression to mean exactly what it says
Some examples of orthophemisms from recent #code4lib conversations:
It’s time for the afternoon banana.
They’re burning the popcorn early today.
I held her Grammy.