Types of Less Embarrassing Terms
There are many ways in which characters can use terminology to avoid embarrassment. The more common ones include:
- Technical terms: Referring to the embarrassing thing with big, formal-sounding words or Gratuitous Latin (e.g. "I didn't have a nightmare; I had an unpleasant REM experience"). This is usually used for when the character is embarrassed because they view the thing as childish, since technical words are (usually) not associated with children. It's also sometimes used when the person is trying to avoid emotionally-charged terms (e.g. "We're not friends, we're just well-acquainted.")
- Gender-specific terms: If a male character is embarrassed by something he thinks is too feminine, he will often refer to it by a name that describes it as being for men/boys. (e.g. "It's not a purse; it's a men's bag.")
- Fancy terms: Using a more sophisticated (though not clinical) or poetic term for the embarrassing thing, e.g. insisting that something is "gold" rather than "yellow" or that you were "weeping" rather than "crying". This is usually done when the person is embarrassed because the usual term would make it or them seem uncool, and like the technical phrasing, it's often done to avoid being seen as childish. Sometimes they even throw in Pretentious Pronunciation.
