Call Me by my Right Name

euphemism mundane incongruous undertaker stipulate

The original paragraph

My cousin refers to himself as a “sanitary engineer” a euphemism for garbage collector. There are any number of people who try to find more respectable or glamorous titles for the mundane jobs they hold. It may seem incongruous to call an undertaker a “condolence counselor” or to refer to a taxi driver as a “transportation expediter,” but some prefer those titles. As a matter of fact our butcher has stipulated that from now on he wants to be known as a “meat coordinator”. He became irate when I inadvertently called him “Butch.”

Euphemism n. A less offensive term

Mundane adj. dull

Incongruous adj. inappropriate

Undertaker n. Funeral director

Stipulate v. Demand

Paragraph paraphrase

My cousin calls himself as a “sanitary engineer” - a less hush term for baggage collector. Many people try to use more attractive titles for the dull jobs they were doing. Calling a funeral director as “condolence counselor” may sound an appropriate, such goes to a taxi driver to be know as a “transportation expediter.” Some people still prefer to have those titles. Believe it or not, our butcher has requested that from now on he wants people to call him as a “meat coordinator.” He was furious when I accidentally called him “Butch.”