The writers [of the 60s TV show] were allowed to be an eclectic bunch (i.e. some had not been to Cambridge). Guardian March 25, 2008
tradition = nepotism and prejudice Richard Gordon, author of Doctor in Love etc
The tone of the station needs to move “away from formality and perceived didacticism towards spontaneity and conversation”, the report argues – i.e., it’s too intelligent. John Tusa, Daily Telegraph Feb 2011, paraphrase
New client project this week - unifying the user journey through the authenticated and unauthenticated spaces of the digital channel. (i.e, we're redesigning the website) Nick Dunlavey
I looked Fred up on YouTube, and I was like, ‘Oh my God! He’s, er, crazy!’ ” Crazy, of course, is a euphemism for wildly annoying... Pixie Lott in the Times, Dec 2010
I can recall several editors mentioning to me early on that wrongness was an “unusual” topic for a first book. A year or so into the project it finally dawned on me that by “unusual” they meant “insane”. Kathryn Schulze in G 27/11/10
I don't expect the sack, says Carlo Ancelotti, for which read, "I will be sacked soon." @franosch
I think we can get bogged down in statistics = they’re proving your point, not mine. Sunday Morning Live September 26, 2010
“The metropolitan area of London, and its metropolitan culture" priest commenting on BBC re Pope’s visit to Birmingham and the Midlands’ warm welcome. There was also talk of "today's culture of relativism" versus "strong faith". I don't know what any of it means. Isn't it just "bad deeds" versus "good deeds"?
When people say “there used to be a living in it, but not any more”, they mean “Keep off my patch” (antiques runner, voiceover artist). But then if you’re a freelance it’s very annoying if people want you to tell them how to “break into the field” – ie give them all your contacts so that they can do the work that’s paying your mortgage/bread and butter.
I really hate being called "sensationalist" when what people actually mean is "being accurate but deigning to be excited about it". @edyong209 (He means "daring", but who's counting?)
Women [who marry a man plainer than themselves] want a man who’s positive and supportive. Or, to use another word, grateful. Carol Midgley Times Sep 16 10
Her role is to manage expectations, which I think is a euphemism for disappointing people. Sam Wollaston Guardian Sept 8 10
The guidelines for AP Ohio had this gem of an addition: Yes: Single-victim murders that involve unusual circumstances, a prominent person or happen outside the metropolitan areas, where murders are common. Offer stories on the incident, arrests, formal charges and verdicts only, except in high-profile cases of statewide interest when changes in dates, venue or charges occur. No: Routine one-victim murders in big cities, where murders are more common. Read: no news coverage of low-income people and people of color being killed in urban areas.www.savethenews.org
Managed realignment is a euphemism for flooding. Essex farmer on Countryfile BBC April 11, 2010
Norwich has an image problem – what the council prefers to call an "issue of perception". Independent Mar 21 10
Cecilia Sarkozy: “It’s a part of my life which is behind, so I am fixed on my future. I have turned the page, and everything is fine.”Which roughly translates as “no comment”. Guardian June 26 10
"Managing the mink population means killing a mink
whenever you find one." Philippa on Halcyon River Diaries, BBC May 15, 2010
Reviews
of Lloyd Webber's latest musical Love Never Dies have been mixed, by which we mean generally very bad. Guardian 26 March 10
"We're very lucky to have her – we think she'll do a good job." There's someone no one wants to work with – and she's been wished onus.
“Don’t worry” is code for “You should
really worry a lot about this”. 6’3“ woman in Observer May 31 09
They say “Shazia, you should be warm, friendly and
unthreatening”. This is intellectual language for pink, fluffy bimbo. Shazia
Mirza, Guardian Aug 8 09
“The Gaggia machine isn’t working.” None of us knows how to work it and it’s just for show.
Wikipedians
are disagreeable and closed to new ideas, according to one survey (3 January, 2010).Could this be because we have to resist continually the agreeableness and
new ideas of creationists, revisionists, flat-earthers and other quacks? New
Scientist 24 January 2009
“Synergies is a euphemism for heavy cost cuts.” head of Cadbury on BBC1 January 11, 2010
Executives ask for collaborative input when what they really want is a rubber stamp for decisions already made. Web
Students often complained that they "weren't learning anything," which, upon probing, turned out to mean they were not memorizing facts. Web
They demanded "modernisation," which turned out to mean up to 10,000 lost jobs. Green Party
I asked him if he wanted to go someplace nicer (this was a polite way of saying "more expensive").
“I never really got to know Matthew” [Damien Hirst] ... It was a polite way of saying that they didn’t get on. Guardian Sept 27 08
To get into them you do need a good education, and privilege (by which I infer money). Bristol blogger
“Higher purpose” (by which I infer you mean a divine plan). Web
Too often, though, the Academy has rewarded films at the high end of mediocrity, operating within a narrow band of reassuring realism. They're called "movies of quality," which really means movies of piety—stories of cozy spiritual uplift (Mrs. Miniver, Going My Way) or, more recently, of superior damaged creatures (Rain Man, A Beautiful Mind). Richard Corliss Time Feb 25 08
Ruth paid tribute by saying that Gwyneth was “larger than life”. What Ruth actually meant to say was that she was terrified of her.
The company released a statement announcing company restructuring, which was really a euphemism for future layoffs. Web
She also says we discipline our children in a different way (her way of saying there isn’t enough in our house). Evening Standard April 8, 2008
Until now, I've had a happy life thinking of myself as a Jewish writer. I came to accept that when my work was described as being "too New York" it was really a euphemism for something else. Wendy Wasserstein
What he’s really railing against is "secularism". Which is really a euphemism for atheism. blog
"Democracy" when used by the American press is really a euphemism for an American-friendly government and way of life. blog
“What we have here,” says the warden, “is failure to communicate.” … What the warden really means is “failure to do what I want you to do”. Deborah Cameron, The Myth of Mars and Venus
The bigger deal long term is a 1918 treaty with France – if the Grimaldis don't produce an heir, Monaco becomes an "autonomous state under the protection of France." (Probable translation: everybody pays French taxes.) straightdope.com
“I notice that you never have anything constructive to say!” said Patricia Hewitt, which I took to mean “You never praise the government to the skies!” Simon Hoggart, Guardian January 10, 2007
For “commonsense precepts” read “conservative values” and for “fulfilment” read “ego gratification”. Charlotte Raven on parenting in Guardian July 15, 2006
I can't face waking up to a wardrobe of “flattering” (read "boring") wrap dresses. blog
Instead of just saying outright that jobs are going to be cut, the head of the company has taken to using weasel words like "corporate restructuring."
“Albania is surely the most quirkily inscrutable country in Europe" Michael Palin tells us. In other words, a dump. Observer Sept 16 07
I am immediately revamping my Facebook profile. Anyone with goofy, personality-filled (read: "ugly”) pictures is being expunged. Scientific American
And only if she’s a bit of a rebel, which on this show seems to mean “recently divorced”. Guardian April 4, 2008
All “refactor” seems to mean is "redesign", "redo", or "rewrite". velocityreviews.com
In the event, “transgressive and post-confessional narrative” turned out to mean loosely-plotted tales of sex and attitude, read really fast and/or at high volume. poetrymagazine.org
I also found the suggestion to "change your expectations", which turned out to mean "avoid doing difficult things," to be defeatist and unhelpful. Amazon review of self-help book
In 1997, Tony Blair promised to think the unthinkable on welfare, which turned out to mean sacking Frank Field and changing the subject. telegraph.co.uk
It was a college that described itself on the prospectus as "very friendly", which turned out to mean, disappointingly, that it was full of working-class scumbags from Bolton. Giles Coren, Independent, Oct 03
After a while, I began to grow suspicious. It seemed that "taking the cultural context into consideration" turned out to mean "the pesky [Biblical] passage isn't a problem" again and again. jonathanscorner.com
"He's a really nice guy once you get to know him." That turned out to mean, as is sometimes the case, that he's inconsiderate and rude to everyone except the few people whom he likes well or needs. Web
“His more libertarian-minded voters are taken aback to discover that 'compassionate conservatism' turned out to mean social conservatism - a stepped-up drug war, restrictions on medical research, antigay policies, federal subsidies for marriage and religion - and big-spending liberalism justified as 'compassion.'” Jonathan Block, Cato Institute
One of the sickest experiences of my life was interviewing a Rwandan bishop in 1998. He talked about Christian morality - which turned out to mean the divinely imposed requirement not to tolerate gays; and when, I, tastefully, raised the subject of his native land, he demanded that I turn the tape recorder off; then said the problem was really democracy, which didn't suit Africa. Andrew Brown on the Web
Other related arts organizations began to contact us, suggesting that we work together. "Working together" turned out to mean giving them a rather sizable contribution so we could get their literature. artnet.com
Yet, in Germany, all was stagnation, he lamented. The dominant political ethos remained one of consensus, but what that meant in practice was "shying away from conflict and seeking broad approval in the hope of postponing change". Guardian
