Herald-Times (Bloomington, IN), April 26, 2009
Keyes's Book for Word-Lovers
Yellow Springs News (Ohio) By Jane Baker We all know that Mark Twain said, “Golf is a good walk spoiled” and “Whenever I feel an urge to exercise I lie down until it goes away” and that Abraham Lincoln said “A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client”—right? Wrong! As Ralph Keyes …
Library Journal
Keyes (The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When) distinguishes this work from other slang and idiom resources by explaining retro terms, that is, words and phrases that have been used for so long that people repeat them without knowing their origin or understanding their precise meaning. Examples include tabloid, initially a compressed medical …
Voice of America
VOA‘s program on euphemisms that features an interview with Ralph can be accessed by clicking on the link. Listen: [audio:https://ralphkeyes.on-forge.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/VOA-10-12-22euphemisms.mp3|titles=VOA 10-12-22euphemisms]
charlotteobserver.com
THE READING LIFE Hiking the Appalachian Trail, and other euphemisms Ever ponder how much we rely on euphemisms? I didn’t, until I dipped into “Euphemania,” a new book sure to delight language lovers. The book, by Ralph Keyes, explores how we use euphemisms as stand-ins for words that evoke fear, unease or embarrassment. And, best …
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Spend a weekend reading Ralph Keyes’s fascinating new book, “Euphemania: Our Love Affair with Euphemisms,” and you’ll become convinced that language is a complicated network of discreet evasions that stretches back to the beginning of civilization. Some euphemisms are so old we don’t even recognize them as another era’s attempt to avoid dangerous words. One …