Very few textbooks teach 'euphemisms', but they're an essential part of English life. An euphemism is a mild or indirect word / expression that takes the place of something that is considered too blunt when referring to something embarrassing. For example, the phrase 'a correctional facility' is an idiom that we use instead of the word 'prison'. Or we say that a person is 'big boned', instead of the word 'fat'. So the next time you hear somebody saying that they have to 'powder their nose', or you learn that someone has a 'negative cash flow', use this podcast to know exactly what they mean. * By the way, have you ever wondered where the expression 'a bucket list' comes from? Well it comes from the euphemism 'to kick the bucket', which means 'to die'. Your bucket list is the list of all the things you want to do before you 'kick the bucket'. On my bucket list is to learn how to play the guitar. What's on yours?