What figure of speech is used in the expression "...wouldn't have to clean 'dishes', as folks uncharitably say about washing corpses."

Analyze the question The expression is: "...wouldn't have to clean 'dishes', as folks uncharitably say about washing corpses." We need the figure of speech in which the word "dishes" is used (in quotation marks) to refer to washing corpses.

Explain the concept

• Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things.
• Euphemism: replacing a harsh, unpleasant, or taboo term with a milder, more polite one (e.g., "passed away" for "died").
• Hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration for effect.
• Allusion: an indirect reference to a well-known person, event, or work.

Step-by-step solution

1. The idea being discussed is washing corpses, which is an unpleasant, grim, and sensitive subject.
2. Instead of saying it directly, people use a mild, everyday term: "cleaning dishes."
3. The word "dishes" is put in quotation marks, which shows it is a substitute expression used by people ("as folks say").
4. Nothing is given human qualities (not personification), nothing is exaggerated (not hyperbole), and there is no reference to a famous person or event (not allusion).
5. Replacing an unpleasant idea with a softer, more indirect phrase is exactly what a euphemism does.

One thing to note: the speaker says folks say this "uncharitably," which suggests the phrase is a bit insensitive or dark humour. Even so, the mechanism is still the same: a blunt reality is masked by a milder, indirect term, so it is a euphemism.

Answer: B. Euphemism

Exam tip: When a question asks about a figure of speech, ask what the expression is doing. If it is softening something harsh or taboo (death, toilets, body functions, dismissal from a job), think euphemism. Examples: "pass away" for die, "let go" for sacked.