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Do euphemisms offer an escape route for the conscience? Think about it as this Pandora’s Box is opened and by all means pardon my French …

No matter what population group we look at, past or present, we will always find examples of how people tend to talk about certain topics in roundabout ways

One of the subtleties of language is the use of euphemisms.  A euphemism is a less offensive word or phrase used in place of another term that might be considered too direct, harsh, unpleasant, or offensive. It substitutes an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that might offend or suggest something unpleasant. The word comes from the Greek  euphēmismos, which comes from eu (auspicious, good, pleasant) and phēmē (speech).

(Euphemisms may be formed in a number of ways. Periphrasis, or circumlocution, is one of the most common: to "speak around" a given word, implying it without saying it. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas.- Wikipedia)

In many cases euphemisms are harmless, even rooted in a kind of charity and a desire not to offend unnecessarily. For example, we may say that someone has “passed away,” or “departed this life,” rather than that the person died. A woman may say she is going to “powder her nose” rather than that she is going to the bathroom. We may say a man is stocky, or a woman full-figured, rather than saying he or she is fat or overweight. Parents say they are going to have “the talk” with their kids or tell them about “the birds and bees,” rather than saying, “I’m going to talk to my kids about sex.”

In many ways these are polite circumlocutions that get across the basic message but seek to describe less pleasant notions in more pleasant or discreet ways.

Some euphemisms are downright silly: you aren’t poor, you are economically disadvantaged; a company isn’t failing it is being right-sized; you aren’t broke, you have negative cash flow; it’s not a used car, it’s pre-owned; your stocks aren’t losing money they’re underperforming; and that booze you’re drinking is an “adult beverage”—silly stuff, really.

But in some cases, euphemisms cause harm since they seek to deceive by hiding the truth of things that are morally wrong. It is one thing to describe a reality politely or softly, but it is quite another to outright hide the reality of something by using words meant more to distort or conceal. – All italicized info - Msgr. Charles Pope (http://www.newadvent.org/)

In the case of that which is believed to be morally wrong, euphemisms are used for dissimulation, to refer to taboo topics  (such as euthanasia, disability, abortion, sex, excretion, moral ethics, murder, suicide and death) in a polite way, and to mask profanity.

As a deception, the use if euphemistic terms is a dishonest roundabout way of using words, phrases or expressions to make the bad seem good or at least tolerable. It is a way of concealing plain facts by using evasive words or expressions to make indecency look decent.” – Napoleon Depoge

Also: “… there is a particular kind of euphemism that involves using language in a perverse to conceal thought. That is called doublespeak.” – F. Katamba

Euphemism may be used as a rhetorical strategy, in which case its goal is to change the valence of a description from positive to negative. The ancient Greeks said that using euphemism was "to speak words that augur well." One modern example of this can be found in real estate. When a property is difficult to sell, the seller will use euphemism to attract interest from the potential buyer. The phrase "cozy house" is a euphemism for "claustrophobic." The phrase "this house needs some “TLC” (tender loving care) is a euphemism for "this place is a dump."

There is some disagreement over whether certain terms are or are not euphemisms. For example, sometimes the phrase visually impaired is labeled as a politically correct euphemism for blind. However, visual impairment can be a broader term, including, for example, people who have partial sight in one eye, those with uncorrectable mild to moderate poor vision, or even those who wear glasses, a group that would be excluded by the word blind. – Wikipedia.org

The psychological reason we use euphemisms is that if offers a means to talk about yukky things.

“Some things are obviously difficult to speak about socially, even to the point of being unspeakable or taboo.  Often when we want to ‘say the right thing,’ or want to avoid embarrassing ourselves when we have to say something awkward.” – Allison Crawford

“Language matters, and euphemisms - amusingly transparent as they sometimes are - distort reality, becoming justifications for suppression, mistreatment and isolation from the mainstream.” – Roni Bennett

When did we become so chicken?

It’s not looking we can pass the buck, can we? Your favorite euphemisms just might tell YOU who you ARE. Ah! Evolution.

Can someone get the elephant out of the room now?

“And that’s just one of the ways that language can serve as a window into human nature.” – Steven Pinker

Great link for some of the best euphemisms http://www.euphemismlist.com/