{"product_id":"fair-of-speech-book-d-j-enright-9780192830609","title":"Fair of Speech","description":"Can a bomb ever be clean? Are we relieved to be warned that there will be an odor when once we were told that something would stink? Or, to put it another way, when is a euphemism a mark of good taste and when is it a sign of verbal obfuscation?\u003cbr\u003e To answer such questions, D.J. Enright invited sixteen distinguished writers to ponder and explore the ubiquitous phenomenon of euphemism. The result is a delightful and provocative collection that not only includes general reflections on euphemism and its history but also treats such specific categories as sex, death, and other natural functions; politics; the language of the great Christian texts; euphamisms spoken to and by children; the law; medicine; office life; and the jargon of official spokesmen, military communiques, and tyrants. Such writers as Diane Johnson, Robert Nisbet, John Gross, Robert Burchfield, and Joseph Epstein bring a variety of perspectives and sensibilities to bear on these topics.\u003cbr\u003e Because euphemisms are so intimate and integral to our thinking, any study of them is bound to throw light on the human condition, both past and present. In these essays, humor jostles horror and the homely alternates with the farfetched. Taken together they form an eloquent and often amusing testament to the richness of the subject.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/em\u003e: \u003cbr\u003e D.J. Enright is a noted English poet and critic. He recently compiled and edited \u003cem\u003eThe Oxford Book of Death\u003c\/em\u003e.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49624884871441,"sku":"GOR005199200","price":4.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50878158274833,"sku":"GOR003993253","price":4.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0192830600.jpg?v=1751227018","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/fair-of-speech-book-d-j-enright-9780192830609","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}