定义：a cultural or religious custom that does not allow people to do, use or talk about a particular thing as people find it offensive or embarrassing

Excreta and acts of human excretion

Sexual intercourse/certain parts of the body

(four letters)

Swear words (age, sex, occupation)

例子：

①Human Excretion排泄，排泄物

go to the can/ go to the John

go and see one’s aunt

I’m going to pick some flowers.

Can I add some powder? 

I would like to powder my nose.

 I wonder if I could go somewhere. 

heed /answer the call of nature 

May I be excused? Nature calls me. 

②Sex/Body parts

pee pee (penis)

wee wee (urinate)

down there (vagina)

she is expecting a baby.  

she is in a family way.    

She is expecting. She is in a delicate condition. 

She is well-along. 

She is about to have a blessed event. 

③die

Go

depart

depart from this world

go to a better world

go the ways of all flesh

pass away

late

 In Chinese, we also can find similar euphemisms: “去了”, “离开了我们”, “辞世”, “去见马克思了”, “归西”,“升天”, “上路

④disease

Abbreviations: 

   SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes) 

   AIDS  (Acquired Immure Deficiency Syndrome) 

   V.D  (venereal disease)  性病

big C/ long disease/ terminal illness  (cancer)

Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia [nju:ˈməʊniə]    （新型冠状肺炎）

⑤COVID-19

Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia（新型冠状肺炎）2020年2月11日，世卫组织（WHO）宣布将新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎正式命名为“COVID-19”。这里的COVID-19具体含义如下：CO和VI都来自冠状病毒的英文：coronavirus。而D，则代表：disease（疾病）。数字19，意思是：2019年，代表该病毒首次于2019年被发现。

作为一个新名词，COVID-19在英文里该怎么读呢？WHO发言人在发布会上专门拼读了这个词，他的发音是：/’kɔːvid nain’ti:n/。不过，美国媒体及民众对COVID-19的发音略有不同，他们会读作：/’kəʊvid nain’ti:n/。两种发音都可以，大家可自行选择。