近日，美国众议院议长佩洛西在接受CNN采访时使用“那个谁”来称呼美国前总统特朗普，即使主持人当场提示“唐纳德·特朗普？”，佩洛西也未改口。
南希·佩洛西在美国有线电视新闻网节目中忘记特朗普的名字
'Just to remind, when what's-his-name was president and the Republicans were in power...'
“注意了，‘那个谁’当总统以及共和党执政的时候……”
此事一出，媒体报章普遍在标题里就定性说这是佩洛西不小心忘记了特朗普的名字。相反，网民们的理解却不同，有人回复：
Classy shade.
太阴了（夺笋啊/多损啊）！
不止佩洛西，美国总统拜登早前也不愿直呼其名，改称“之前那个人（the former guy）”。
Biden emphasized his eagerness to move past his predecessor, calling him "the former guy" and lamenting: "I'm tired of talking about Donald Trump."
拜登强调希望前任已经过去了，称他为“之前那人”，并哀叹：“我厌倦了谈论唐纳德·特朗普。”
评论区“哈迷”网民更是脑洞大开，想到了伏地魔，引述了《哈利波特》书中的称呼：
He who must not be named.
不能提名字的那个人。
不论佩洛西是有意为之还是无心之失，选词代指人名以示避讳一直是词汇的重要功能之一。
刚刚提到的《哈利波特》中，伏地魔原名Tom Riddle， 后来自命名为Voldemort。作者罗琳曾解释Voldemort来自于法语“vol-de-mort = flight from death（逃离死亡）”。
J.K. Rowling invented the name Voldemort, and its French origins – "vol" means "flight"; "de" means "of" or "from"; and "mort" means "death" – give it a sinister backstory entirely in keeping with Voldemort's image.
J.K.罗琳创造了伏地魔这个名字。该词的法国词源——“vol”的意思是“逃离”、“de”指“of”或“from”；“mort”的意思是“死亡”——给了这个词一个完全符合伏地魔形象的邪恶故事背景。
巫师们为了避免直呼伏地魔的名字，就给他取了数个代称。常见的是：You-Know-Who / The Dark Lord （你懂我说的谁 / 黑魔王）。
He Who Must Not Be Named, You-Know-Who, The Dark Lord (apparently even Voldemort's followers were scared to say it). It seems Dumbledore's words to Harry – about fear of a name increasing fear of the thing itself – were true for most of the wizarding world.
不能提名字的那个人，你懂我说的谁，黑魔王（显然连伏地魔的追随者都不敢直呼其名）。邓布利多对哈利说的话——对一个名字的恐惧增加了对这个东西本身的恐惧——似乎对魔法世界的大多数人都适用。
"It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You- Know-Who'. I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name," he told Professor McGonagall at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Later he explained to Harry: "Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."
“如果我们一直说‘你懂我说的谁’，一切都会变得很混乱。”在《哈利·波特与魔法石》的开头，邓布利多对麦格教授说：“我不知道为什么要害怕说伏地魔的名字”。后来他向哈利解释说：“对名字的恐惧会增加对事物本身的恐惧。”
人名当然不是唯一要避讳的内容。为了礼貌、揶揄或者其他目的，英语给生活中与失业、死亡以及钱相关的事物都安上了委婉语(Euphemism)。
和中文一样，“死”这个字通常会被换成别的表达，如“逝世”、“故去”。
died
死了的
↓
passed away
逝去
died
↓
passed over to the other side
去到另一边
died
↓
departed
离开
died
↓
gone to heaven
去了天堂
died
↓
gone home
回家了
deceased
死去了的
↓
late
过世的
deceased
↓
dearly departed
离开了的亲爱的[人]
deceased
↓
resting in peace
安详休息了
deceased
↓
no longer with us
不再在我们身边
euthanizing a pet
给宠物安乐死
↓
put to sleep
使安睡
died (for a pet)
死亡（指宠物）
↓
gone over the rainbow bridge
越过了彩虹桥
同理，中文网络世界会把裁员说成优化，英文也差不多：
fired
被炒了
↓
downsized
精简了
jobless
没工作
↓
embarking on a journey of self-discovery
开启了自我发现的旅程
I got fired
我被炒了
↓
my position was eliminated
我的职位被取消了
unemployed
失业了
↓
between jobs
在两份工作间
losing one's job
丢了工作
↓
taking an early retirement
早早退休
firing an employee
炒掉某人
↓
letting someone go
让某人走
unable to find a job
找不到工作
↓
considering options
考虑多种选项
quitting or being fired
辞职或者被炒了
↓
pursuing other opportunities
追求其他机会
quit, walked off the job or got fired
辞职、愤然离职或者被炒了
↓
left the company
离开了公司
in a job that is beyond one's capabilities
工作超出某人能力
↓
over-employed
过度就业
in a job that is below a person's career level
工作低于某人事业职级
↓
under-employed
不充分就业
being given no alternative other than to quit or get fired
没有选择以至于不得不辞职或被炒
↓
chose to resign
选择辞职
中文里的“经济实惠、省钱节约”都比“便宜/贱卖”要好听，最近各种商家活动可不会在广告语里用后者。
cheap
便宜
↓
economical
经济的
in debt
欠债
↓
negative cash flow
负现金流
spoiled
被溺爱宠坏了
↓
financially fortunate
财务幸运的
chronic overspending
习惯性超支
↓
likes to shop
喜欢购物
poor or impoverished
贫穷
↓
economically disadvantaged
经济上弱势的
当然也少不了厕所里的事儿，面对不熟的人，“我要去卫生间/厕所”比“我要去尿尿”更常用。
to pee / to urinate
尿尿/小便
↓
to go number one / to relieve oneself
上小号 / 释放自我
你还用过哪些中文/英文委婉语？留言分享给双语君吧。
这里是中国日报双语新闻夜听双语，我是双语君。
晚安，好梦。
Notes
sinister [ˈsɪnɪstər]
adj 邪恶的；不详的
euthanize [ˈjuːθənaɪz]
v 使（人或动物）安乐死
impoverished [ɪmˈpɒvərɪʃt]
adj 赤贫的
编辑：左卓 焦洁
实习生：向静雅
来源：Independent, Washington Post, Wizarding World, blog.pangeanic, Yourdictionary
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