Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2009 January 15

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

January 15

Cancer sticks, sugar water and evil sugar

I'm trying to think of a label for the language phenomenon of deliberately (and possibly humorously) calling something by a name that highlights its unhealthiness. For example, calling cigarrettes cancer sticks ("I'm just going out for some cancer-sticks, I'll be back in a jiffy"). I know I use sugar water for soda to pre-empt people telling me how unhealthy they are, because I know and still want to drink them. More general terms might be reverse euphemism or something like that, but is there a better one? Steewi (talk) 00:21, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Dysphemism (a word I learnt myself on the refdesk; who says this thing doesn't work?). Algebraist 00:52, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

On a side note, we call cigarettes 'coffin nails'.--KageTora (talk) 06:44, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Algebraist. An appropriate word, and one that makes perfect sense! Steewi (talk) 22:50, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Latin word for understated ??

Could it be confirmed whether there is a direct or even approximate Latin translation for the word 'understated'. If so what is the source and where might this information be found?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by SensuLato (talk • contribs) 03:30, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Could you indicate which sense of understated you have in mind? "He dressed in an understated manner"? "The company understated its losses for the quarter"? Something else? Deor (talk) 03:46, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Probably use phrases with minus or minime... AnonMoos (talk) 03:49, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Thats probably about right. "His expressions were very understated" "The decoration was very understated"? - looking at the term objectively... —Preceding unsigned comment added by SensuLato (talk • contribs) 04:02, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

In some such contexts, moderatus or modicus might work. Deor (talk) 05:12, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Deor, I was thinking of those myself, along with their cognate modestus. Also continens, temperatus, humilis, demissus, verecundus, pudens, and pudibundus.

–_⊥^{¡ɐɔıʇǝo}Noetica!^T– 10:28, 15 January 2009 (UTC)