John T. Reed’s dysphemism list
Posted by John T. Reed on
Below are often-used dysphemisms and their translations to plain non-spin English. Dysphemisms are intellectually-dishonest debate tactics. I have a list of other varieties of those tactics at https://www.johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-news-blog/60887299-intellectually-honest-and-intellectually-dishonest-debate-tactics.
I hope readers will suggest additional dysphemisms that I have overlooked. Some dysphemism lists include slurs like the N=word. No one needs an article by me to recognize a slur.
One reader told me about a similar list created by Dr. Thomas Sowell. It is titled:
An English primer. (a glossary translating political rhetoric into plain English) by Thomas Sowell
| Dysphemism | plain, non-spin, English translation |
| bitch | female who is not liked by the person using the word |
| black ops | secret government operations |
| bully | official who refuses to comply with the demands of an enemy |
| cut | in DC, a cut is not increasing spending at least as much as it was increased last yer |
| collusion | secret agreement or cooperation |
| dark | the user of the word does not like the person described |
| denier | attempt to claim that disagreement on the subject of the debate is not allowed here in the Land of the Free; stems from the legitimate phrase “Holocaust denier” but dishonest when applied to issues like the accuracy of climate computer models |
| dividing us | espousing a policy that the speaker opposes |
| dog whistle | word or phrase that could be construed as politically incorrect if you really stretch |
| exploit | employ someone or make use of natural resource |
| extremist | someone who believes something too much |
| gouging | selling to the highest bidder |
| hard-core | an adjective that means extreme which implies extremist and that is another dysphemism; It means you believe something too much. Who gets to decide how much is too much? |
| negative | anything that criticizes the speaker |
| hate speech | speech that is hated by the speaker |
| obstinate | firm, has the strength of his convictions |
| operative | employee |
| profiteering | making a profit |
| slush fund |
bank account or store of cash that may be drawn upon for various purposes |
| trickle-down economics | the belief that increased business profits increase opportunities and real wages of prospective and current business employees |
| white nationalist | Caucasian who favors tighter immigration rules and/or decreased trade deficits |
| word’s out, the | no meaning; just a false claim that something is widely said by unidentified, uncounted people |
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