Spaw,

   It's been a long time since I've even thought about that book. I'l have to dig out my old copy and re-read it. Sherman points out a number of interesting things in it. He pointed out, for example, a peculiar feature of the word "euphemism". It's what we call a given thing when we don't want to use the word which more accurately describes the thing on the grounds that the more accurate description necessitates the use of a disagreeable word. This make the word "euphemism" in and of itself a euphemism for the word "lie".

Stephen Lee