What word is given to the figure of speech in which an unpleasant or offensive term is described by another milder term?
Meiosis (figure of speech) because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. (1 Corinthians 15:9–10) Meiosis (figure of speech) In rhetoric, meiosis is a euphemistic figure of speech that intentionally understates something or implies that it is lesser in significance or size than it really is. Meiosis is the opposite of auxesis, and also sometimes used as a synonym for litotes. The term is derived from the Greek "μειόω" (“to make smaller”, "to diminish"). The scientific term of meiosis was first developed by J. B.
Code word (figure of speech) Code word (figure of speech) A code word is a word or a phrase designed to convey a predetermined meaning to a receptive audience, while remaining inconspicuous to the uninitiated. For example, a public address system may be used to make an announcement asking for "Inspector Sands" to attend a particular area, which staff will recognise as a code word for a fire or bomb threat, and the general public will ignore. An "informal code word" is a term used without formal or prior agreement to communicate to a subset of listeners or readers predisposed to see its double meaning.