Glossary of euphemisms book reviewers use
This from Ben Macintyre at The Times onLine cited on this blog a year or two back…no longer online:
IN A RECENT ARTICLE, I DESCRIBED A book as magisterial, and
promptly received a text message from my most critical friend. "magisterial"? u mean dull, no? He was right. I had used the word
to indicate that the book was long and scholarly, and to imply that I
had read it all (which I had not). In reviewese, magisterial
means lofty, and dreary.
The book world is rife with such euphemistic terms. The Times
Literary Supplement has a splendid informal list of hackneyed words and
phrases to avoid: rich tapestry, consummate skill, peppered with and I defer to no one . . .
Some words, such as mellifluous and coruscating, are
seldom used outside book reviews; others, such as insightful,
have been used so often that they mean nothing at all.
Here is a sampling of the brief glossary of literary euphemisms Macintyre cites:
Shot through with mordant wit This phrase tends to be used by reviewers to describe books written by other reviewers. It means: Extremely nasty, but I don’t want this bastard to work me over next.
These are minor quibbles (mere cavils) . . . This is a
favourite of the weedier academic reviewers. It usually crops up
towards the end of the review, when the reviewer has suddenly realised
that he may have put the boot in too hard at the start, and feels
guilty.
Writing reminiscent of Probably plagiarized.
Detailed Has footnotes.
Richly detailed Has lots of footnotes.
Densely detailed Has footnotes, endnotes, acknowledgments,
epigrams, foreword, preface, bibliography, appendices, indices, and
marginalia. Translation: unreadable. qv: panoramic, workmanlike,
painstaking, extensively researched.
Vibrant Usually used to describe a young author that the
reviewer met when drunk at the Martin Amis launch and thinks he might
have fancied. (See also accomplished debut.)
March 27th, 2008 at 6:16 PM
Yes, yes, Nigel,
but… what’s the euphemism you have used the most? My favourite is Renaissance man: any regular man with so many time to spend, his and yours. Not to be mistaken with Da Vinci, please.
March 28th, 2008 at 6:45 PM
There’s a lot of movement within the lines. The author is confused.
Big-hearted, generous verse. Takes a stand on nothing.
In tune with nature’s silence. Hears voices, and thinks they’re transformative and seminal.
Aware of life’s evanescence, and the small joys on the path. Preparing for death.
Unsparingly honest portrayal of contemporary society. Has a grudge against family, past employers, successful people.
March 28th, 2008 at 8:06 PM
Thanks Antonio and Brian for adding to the list. A year or so back I attended a panel discussion on the ethics of book reviewing. Here, according to Christopher Hitchens , are two lines that Evelyn Waugh used as a way of not saying anything negative: "You must be proud." "You’ve done it again!"