Dysphemism – We all know euphemisms, those quaint words or expressions we use to lighten up something unpleasant or crude. “I have to go tinkle.” “I feel like I’m about to toss my cookies. Go on, then, go feed the fish!” Well, dysphemisms are the opposite, where you “downgrade” an expression into something more crude or vulgar. They don’t have to be so rude they are unprintable; for example, I believe “bureaucrat” would be considered a dysphemism for a government employee (gives it a negative spin), “pencil pusher” for an office worker (is that all you do?), and “bean counter” for an accountant (rumour has it they can count other things!). Calling Winnipeg “Winterpeg” would also qualify. Dysphemisms can also be a bit ruder, like calling television the “glass nipple”. And they can be much worse. Just think about some of the “unofficial” military terms for food, washrooms, prisoners, dead people, etc. I won’t mention them here, but I’m sure you get the idea.
Politicians and their “spin doctors” (hmm, another dysphemism, this time for “speech writer”) have to be masters of the euphemism and dysphemism. Unfortunately, often so do biased journalists (er, I mean: hacks) and editors…so keep an eye on your local “rag” for loaded words that pack more punch than just their literal definition.