[Ads-l] Fwd: "Computer glitch" -- euphemism, or non-apology?

Dan Goncharoff thegonch at GMAIL.COM
Wed Jul 8 20:22:53 UTC 2015


What would you call a self-created (ie, not from hackers or other outside
agents) malfunction of a computer system? Is "glitch" not acceptable? It
understates the severity of the issue, perhaps, but it does not strike me
as euphemistic, however you spell it.

DanG

On Wed, Jul 8, 2015 at 4:07 PM, Joel Berson <berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Joel Berson <berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      "Computer glitch" -- euphemism, or non-apology?
>
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>
> "Computer glitches on NYSE, United, WSJ."=C2=A0 Banner displayed by CNN
> New=
> s earlier this afternoon.
>
> Is this increasingly-common phrase a euphemism,* or a non-apology?
>
>
> Joel
>
> * Spelled, of course (when it reached Rome), Iuphemism.
>
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