<I>The British Council?s language clinic with ?Dr Danny?</I>

Hello and welcome back to the English Language Clinic. Today I will attempt ?to shed some light on? (help others to understand) a number of words and phrases. Let?s start with ?southpaw? ? term used to describe someone who is ?left-handed?, particularly in connection with sports such as boxing. The left hand has been associated with negativity for thousands of years. It can be seen in the ?etymology? (history) of the word ?sinister?, which comes from Latin for ?left?. The Latin for ?right-handed? is ?dexter?, which can be seen in the words ?dexterity? (skill in using your hands) and ?ambidextrous? (ability to use both hands with equal skill), both highly positive. ?In a similar vein? (related to the same topic as my last point), if you are described as having ?two left feet? you are regarded as having little coordination. If this is also true of the rest of your body, you might be described as ?ham-fisted? or ?like a bull in a china shop?. If you tend to drop things, you may be referred to as ?butter-fingered?.

But why not just call the person ?clumsy?? A possible answer is that these idioms are ?euphemisms?, from Greek for ?good speech?. or words/phrases used to replace one regarded as offensive or insulting (the opposite of ?euphemism?, in etymology, is ?blasphemy?, from Greek ?evil speech?). There are several euphemisms for death, sex and excretion; ?popping your clogs?, ?sleeping together? and ?powdering your nose? are used to avoid potential embarrassment.

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