Direct link: https://youtu.be/b2Gy1MUxq7E
Explanations + Extra Practice Activities
20 EUPHEMISMS to know NOT to look stupid!
💼 BUSINESS EUPHEMISMS
1️⃣ Let someone go / Be let go
Real meaning: To fire someone.
We say this instead of “fire” because it sounds softer.
Clear Examples:
- The company let him go because sales were very low.
- She was let go after she kept arriving late to work.
- They had to let three employees go to reduce costs.
- He was let go, so now he is looking for a new job.
👉 In all examples, the person lost their job.
2️⃣ Between jobs
Real meaning: Unemployed (temporary).
Clear Examples:
- I’m between jobs right now because my last company closed.
- She’s between jobs, so she’s sending out resumes every day.
- He’s between jobs, but he has a job interview tomorrow.
- Sam is between jobs after being let go last month.
👉 In all examples, the person does not currently have a job.
3️⃣ No longer with us (Business meaning)
Real meaning: The person left the company (not dead).
Clear Examples:
- Our manager is no longer with us because she accepted a job at another company.
- He is no longer with the team after being let go.
- The director is no longer with the organization due to restructuring.
👉 In business context, this means the person does not work there anymore.
🕯️ DEATH EUPHEMISMS
4️⃣ No longer with us (Death meaning)
Real meaning: The person has died.
Clear Examples:
- Sadly, our founder is no longer with us; he passed away last night.
- My grandfather is no longer with us, but we remember him every day.
👉 Here, it clearly means the person died.
5️⃣ Lose someone
Real meaning: Someone close to you died.
Clear Examples:
- She lost her mother to cancer last year.
- He lost his brother in an accident.
- I’m sorry you lost your father.
👉 “Lose” here means the person died, not that they disappeared.
6️⃣ Pass away
Real meaning: Die (polite).
Clear Examples:
- Her grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep.
- He passed away after a long illness.
- The famous actor passed away at age 90.
👉 This is a respectful way to say “die.”
7️⃣ Put to sleep
Real meaning: A vet humanely killed a very sick animal.
Clear Examples:
- We had to put our dog to sleep because he was in severe pain.
- The cat was put to sleep after the illness became worse.
👉 This is only used for animals.
😈 NAUGHTY EUPHEMISMS
8️⃣ Birthday suit
Real meaning: Naked.
Clear Examples:
- The toddler ran through the house in his birthday suit — he wasn’t wearing any clothes.
- He jumped into the lake in his birthday suit, completely naked.
9️⃣ Seeing someone
Real meaning: Dating someone.
Clear Examples:
- She’s seeing someone new, so she goes out on dates every weekend.
- Are you seeing anyone, or are you single?
- He’s been seeing her for three months, but they are not engaged.
👉 It means casually dating.
🔟 Sleep with someone
Real meaning: Have sex.
Clear Examples:
- They slept together after dating for a few months.
- She said she would not sleep with someone on the first date.
- He admitted he slept with his coworker.
👉 It does NOT mean normal sleeping.
1️⃣1️⃣ Sleep around
Real meaning: Have sex with many people.
Clear Examples:
- He slept around a lot when he was younger and had many partners.
- She doesn’t want to date someone who sleeps around.
- He admitted he was sleeping around during their relationship.
👉 It means having many sexual partners.
🚻 TOILET EUPHEMISMS
1️⃣2️⃣ Use the restroom
Real meaning: Go to the toilet.
Clear Examples:
- Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back in a minute.
- She asked the waiter where she could use the restroom.
1️⃣3️⃣ Number 1
Real meaning: Urinate (pee).
Clear Examples:
- The child said he had to do number one, so he ran to the bathroom.
- She needs to go number one before we leave.
1️⃣4️⃣ Number 2
Real meaning: Poop.
Clear Examples:
- The toddler said he had to do number two.
- The baby did number two in his diaper.
🤥 LYING & CHEATING EUPHEMISMS
1️⃣5️⃣ Bend the truth
Real meaning: Not tell the full truth.
Clear Examples:
- He bent the truth about his experience to get the job.
- She bent the truth and said she was sick, but she just didn’t want to go.
- He didn’t lie completely, but he bent the truth.
1️⃣6️⃣ Bend the rules
Real meaning: Break rules slightly.
Clear Examples:
- The teacher bent the rules and gave him extra time on the test.
- They bent the rules to allow her to enter the competition late.
1️⃣7️⃣ Creative accounting
Real meaning: Dishonest financial tricks.
Clear Examples:
- The company used creative accounting to hide its losses.
- He was arrested for creative accounting and financial fraud.
👉 It sounds positive, but it usually means cheating with money.
⭐ OTHER IMPORTANT EUPHEMISMS
1️⃣8️⃣ A unique sense of fashion / humor
Real meaning: Strange or unusual.
Clear Examples:
- He wears bright pink suits every day — he has a unique sense of fashion.
- She laughs at very strange jokes — she has a unique sense of humor.
👉 “Unique” here often means “a bit strange.”
1️⃣9️⃣ Special needs
Real meaning: A physical or mental disability.
Clear Examples:
- The school has programs for children with special needs.
- She works with students who have special needs and learning difficulties.
2️⃣0️⃣ Room for improvement
Real meaning: Not good enough yet.
Clear Examples:
- Your grammar has room for improvement because you still make many mistakes.
- His presentation has room for improvement — he needs to speak more clearly.
- The project is okay, but there is room for improvement.
Extra Practice Activities
Perfect 👍 Here is your updated version.
Clean. Website-ready.
Called QUIZ 1.
Each answer appears after the question with one blank line before it.
📝 QUIZ 1: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct meaning.
1️⃣ “He was let go last week.”
A) He quit his job
B) He was promoted
C) He was fired
Answer: C) He was fired
2️⃣ “She’s between jobs right now.”
A) She doesn’t have a job now
B) She has two jobs
C) She is changing offices
Answer: A) She doesn’t have a job now
3️⃣ “His grandmother passed away.”
A) She traveled
B) She died
C) She moved
Answer: B) She died
4️⃣ “The dog was put to sleep.”
A) The dog is sleeping
B) The dog was adopted
C) The dog was humanely killed
Answer: C) The dog was humanely killed
5️⃣ “She’s seeing someone.”
A) She is going to the doctor
B) She is dating someone
C) She is angry
Answer: B) She is dating someone
6️⃣ “He sleeps around.”
A) He sleeps a lot
B) He travels often
C) He has many sexual partners
Answer: C) He has many sexual partners
7️⃣ “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
A) I need to go to the toilet
B) I need to eat
C) I need to make a call
Answer: A) I need to go to the toilet
8️⃣ “He bent the truth.”
A) He told the full truth
B) He lied completely
C) He didn’t tell the full truth
Answer: C) He didn’t tell the full truth
9️⃣ “The company used creative accounting.”
A) They were creative artists
B) They changed numbers dishonestly
C) They hired new accountants
Answer: B) They changed numbers dishonestly
🔟 “Your writing has room for improvement.”
A) It is perfect
B) It needs to get better
C) It is terrible
Answer: B) It needs to get better
📝 QUIZ 2: Real-Life Context
Read the situation and choose the correct meaning.
1️⃣
At a company meeting, the CEO says:
“Due to budget cuts, we had to let several employees go.”
What does this mean?
A) The employees went on vacation
B) The employees were fired
C) The employees were promoted
Answer: B) The employees were fired
2️⃣
Anna tells her friend:
“I’m between jobs right now, but I start a new position next month.”
What does this mean?
A) She has two jobs
B) She is unemployed temporarily
C) She is confused about her job
Answer: B) She is unemployed temporarily
3️⃣
In a speech, someone says:
“Our founder is no longer with us, but his vision lives on.”
What does this most likely mean?
A) He moved to another company
B) He retired
C) He died
Answer: C) He died
4️⃣
A child tells his teacher:
“Excuse me, I need to do number two.”
What does the child mean?
A) He needs help with math
B) He needs to use the toilet
C) He forgot his homework
Answer: B) He needs to use the toilet
5️⃣
A woman says:
“He didn’t exactly lie, but he bent the truth about his experience.”
What does this mean?
A) He exaggerated or hid some facts
B) He told the full truth
C) He said nothing
Answer: A) He exaggerated or hid some facts
6️⃣
A news report says:
“The company is under investigation for creative accounting.”
What does this suggest?
A) The company uses colorful spreadsheets
B) The company may have changed financial numbers dishonestly
C) The company hired creative designers
Answer: B) The company may have changed financial numbers dishonestly
7️⃣
Mark tells his friend:
“She has a unique sense of fashion — she wears pajamas to formal events.”
What does this mean?
A) Her style is normal
B) Her style is strange or unusual
C) She works in fashion
Answer: B) Her style is strange or unusual
8️⃣
A friend says quietly:
“I’m sorry you lost your father.”
What does “lost” mean here?
A) He cannot find his father
B) His father moved away
C) His father died
Answer: C) His father died
9️⃣
Someone whispers at a party:
“He sleeps around.”
What does this mean?
A) He has many sexual partners
B) He sleeps very deeply
C) He travels a lot
Answer: A) He has many sexual partners
🔟
A teacher writes on a student’s paper:
“Good effort. There is still room for improvement.”
What does this mean?
A) The work is perfect
B) The work needs to get better
C) The work is terrible
Answer: B) The work needs to get better
📝 QUIZ 3: Advanced Inference
Read carefully. Choose the best meaning.
1️⃣
After the quarterly review, Tom cleaned out his desk and left the office quietly.
Later, HR sent an email saying he was “no longer with the company.”
What happened?
A) He went on vacation
B) He changed departments
C) He was fired or left the company
Answer: C) He was fired or left the company
2️⃣
During the funeral, the speaker said,
“Although she is no longer with us, her kindness will never be forgotten.”
What does this mean?
A) She died
B) She retired
C) She moved abroad
Answer: A) She died
3️⃣
Jason keeps going on dates with different people every weekend.
His friends say, “He really sleeps around.”
What does this suggest?
A) He travels frequently
B) He is very tired
C) He has many sexual partners
Answer: C) He has many sexual partners
4️⃣
The school created a new classroom with extra support teachers and special equipment.
The program is designed for children with special needs.
What does this imply?
A) The children are athletes
B) The children have disabilities or learning difficulties
C) The children are gifted
Answer: B) The children have disabilities or learning difficulties
5️⃣
Investigators discovered the company had moved money between accounts to hide losses.
Newspapers called it “creative accounting.”
What does this mean?
A) Innovative software
B) Artistic reports
C) Dishonest financial practices
Answer: C) Dishonest financial practices
6️⃣
During the review, the manager said,
“You’ve made progress this year, but there’s still room for improvement.”
What does this really mean?
A) The work is not perfect yet
B) The work is perfect
C) A promotion is coming
Answer: A) The work is not perfect yet
7️⃣
Emma said she was sick and couldn’t attend the meeting.
Later, photos showed her at the beach.
Her friend said, “She bent the truth.”
What does that mean?
A) She told the full truth
B) She misunderstood the date
C) She did not tell the complete truth
Answer: C) She did not tell the complete truth
8️⃣
At dinner, the child whispered to his mother and ran to the bathroom.
Earlier he said he needed to “do number two.”
What did he do?
A) He used the toilet
B) He solved a problem
C) He made a call
Answer: A) He used the toilet
9️⃣
After a long illness, the family made a difficult decision at the veterinary clinic.
They later said their dog had been “put to sleep.”
What does this mean?
A) The dog is resting
B) The dog was humanely euthanized
C) The dog was adopted
Answer: B) The dog was humanely euthanized
🔟
At a party, someone said,
“She has a unique sense of fashion,”
while looking at her neon boots and bright green coat.
What does this most likely mean?
A) Her style is unusual
B) Her style is traditional
C) She is a designer
Answer: A) Her style is unusual