History Main / DoubleSpeak

* The Morag Tong operatives from ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' do not commit murders: they perform Honorable Executions. However, given that they are the high-class, honorable [[ProfessionalKiller assassins]] in contrast to the gangly, thuggish Cammona Tong and the treacherous Dark Brotherhood, they do manage to keep a higher moral ground.

** Actually, the Ministry of Love's role is fitting with it's name: it's role is to make sure people love Big Brother

* In SonsOfAnarchy, the characters refer to murder as "meeting Mr. Mayhem."

* In ''Literature/ChristianNation'', FoxNews is rebranded as Fox Faith & Freedom News, serving as a PropagandaMachine for the increasingly restrictive new American theocracy.

** The Seamstresses' Guild in the same ''Discworld'', which only has one actual seamstress. Of course, that's not a euphemism for the victims, but rather, for the members. (That is, the people who perform the service.)

* Parodied in a ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' sketch, in which a henchman irritably asks his DiabolicalMastermind boss to speak more clearly, because his 'needlessly ambiguous' instructions, phrased as euphemisms such as 'Take care of Detective Harrison' and 'Let's hope Dr. Professor Rixton meets with an unfortunate accident,' only lead to confusion when his henchmen take him too literally.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': all the expeditions that were sent by Earth to Vorlon space disappeared. The Vorlon said that they had met with accidents and suggested they send no more expeditions into their territory.

** Also parodied in a recent TreehouseOfHorror episode, where, in a ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'' parody, Bart and Lisa agree to "prank" each others teachers, and "ding-dong-ditch" them. Of course, by prank, Bart means kill, and by ding-dong-ditch, he means throw the ding-dong in a ditch.

*** In another strip, the PHB tells a worker his job was re-considered, that he was put in the mobility pool, etc. The worker irritates the PHB not getting it.

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because you screwed up, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same[[note]]In Anglophone jurisdictions, at least. Some other countries have equivalent terms with actual legal differences behind them[[/note]], but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" and "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favour for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in [[NeverSayDie a different ballpark]] all together).

** Subverted in ''Discworld/TheTruth''. Vetinari says he wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde, and his clerk ''thinks'' this is DoubleSpeak, but no, he ''literally'' wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde.

---> '''Fat Tony:''' What the hell did you do?
--->'''Louie:''' I thought you meant ‘hot-sync’ it. You know how it is with us, everything means kill!

* DoubleSpeak is used almost every time by people who were responsible for killing or imprisoning a journalist or human rights activist.

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because you screwed up, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same[[note]]In Anglophone jurisdictions, at least. Some other countries have equivalent terms with actual legal differences behind them[[/note]], but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" and "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favour for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in a different ballpark all together).

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because of an infraction, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same[[note]]In Anglophone jurisdictions, at least. Some other countries have equivalent terms with actual legal differences behind them[[/note]], but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" and "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favour for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in a different ballpark all together).

* Jafar in Disney/{{Aladdin}} wants the guards to "extend him (Aladdin) an invitation to the palace." Obviously, he means throw him in the dungeon so that Jafar can use him to get the lamp.
* In [[AffablyEvil Dr. Falicier's]] VillainSong in ThePrincessAndTheFrog, the good doctor tells [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Prince Naveen]] that "hitchin' ties you down. You wanna be free, hop from place to place, but freedom takes green." When he agrees to the doctor's deal, Naveen gets the green he needs to hop around, [[JackAssGenie by being turned into a frog]].

* ''Film/{{Brazil}}''' has its dystopian government having an "information retrieval" division. We would call information retrieval ColdBloodedTorture and the employees of the department [[TortureTechnician Torture Technicians]].

* More TruthInTelevision from NaziGermany: ''Sonderbehandlung'', or "special treatment", referring to Jews. Hint: it wasn't anything nice.

"I like to think of myself more as an outcome engineer."

_>''"You are a manipulator."\\

->''"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the... if he... if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not; that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement. Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Miss Lewinsky -- that is, asked me a question in the ''present'' tense -- I would have said no (not [[ExactWords at that very moment]]). And it would have been completely true."''
-->-- '''Former U.S. President BillClinton'''

->''"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the... if he... if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not- that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement. Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Miss Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no (not [[ExactWords at that very moment]]). And [[InsaneTrollLogic it would have been completely true.]]"''
-->-- '''President BillClinton'''

->''Nice little house you got here... be a ShameIfSomethingHappened to it.''

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because of an infraction, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same, but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" and "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favour for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in a different ballpark all together).

* In the BillMurray film ''Film/TheManWhoKnewTooLittle'', the assassination firm known as "the Plumbers" uses such phrases as "going to the WC" and "Flushing" to refer to Good Old Murderin'.

* In [[AffablyEvil Dr. Falicier's]] VillainSong in ThePrincessAndTheFrog, the good doctor tells [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Prince Naveen]] that "hitchin' ties you down. You wanna be free, hop from place to place, but freedom takes green." When he agrees to the doctor's deal, Naveen gets the green he needs to hop around, by being turned into a frog.

Use of polite euphemism, typically by {{Weird Trade Union}}s, {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, government officials, mafia insurance salesman, or [[SpySpeak spies]], especially for their targets, actions or [[FrontOrganization gathering places]] like the LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub.

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because of an infraction, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same, but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favour for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in a different ballpark all together).

*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid-off." "Fired" means losing your job because of an infraction, while "laid-off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same, but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired.

Use of polite euphemism, typically by {{Weird Trade Union}}s, government officials, mafia insurance salesman, or [[SpySpeak spies]], especially for their targets, actions or [[FrontOrganization gathering places]] like the LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub.