History Main / DoubleSpeak

* In the AffablyEvil Dr. Facilier's VillainSong in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', the good doctor tells [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Prince Naveen]] that "hitchin' ties you down. You wanna be free, hop from place to place, but freedom takes green." When he agrees to the doctor's deal, Naveen gets the green he needs to hop around, [[JackAssGenie by being turned into a frog]].

* Frank Nitti in ''Film/TheUntouchables'' uses the above line to threaten Eliot Ness.

In the southern U.S., the phrase "bless your heart" can be used as a term of endearment, but it's also mainly used as a polite way of saying "you're a dumbass, but it can't be helped" or "screw off".

* Jafar in ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'' wants the guards to "extend him (Aladdin) an invitation to the palace." Obviously, he means throw him in the dungeon so that Jafar can use him to get the lamp.

** Subverted in ''Discworld/TheTruth''. Vetinari says he wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde, and his clerk ''thinks'' this is Doublespeak, but no, he ''literally'' wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde.

Not an UnusualEuphemism. Subtrope of DoubleMeaning. Compare NeverSayDie, DeadlyEuphemism, or SuperFunHappyThingOfDoom. For cases where a character must speak to two different people at once to convey different information, see MultitaskedConversation.

* In [[AffablyEvil Dr. Falicier's]] VillainSong in ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', the good doctor tells [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob Prince Naveen]] that "hitchin' ties you down. You wanna be free, hop from place to place, but freedom takes green." When he agrees to the doctor's deal, Naveen gets the green he needs to hop around, [[JackAssGenie by being turned into a frog]].

* ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' has its dystopian government having an "information retrieval" division. We would call information retrieval ColdBloodedTorture and the employees of the department {{Torture Technician}}s.

* For both the Assassin's Guild of the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series and the Torturer's Guild of ''The Book Of The New Sun'', victims are referred to as "clients". The Assassin's Guild also refers to contracts as "commissions" (possibly due to their view of their work being artistic in nature). And they prefer to say "inhume" rather than kill. "...It's like exhume... only it's before they bury you."
** The Seamstresses' Guild in the same ''Discworld'', which only has one actual seamstress (this was a real euphemism used by sex workers). Of course, that's not a euphemism for the victims, but rather, for the members. (That is, the people who perform the service.)
*** "Trousers repaired while you wait," indeed.
*** "They call themselves Seamstresses--[[CoughSnarkCough a hem, a hem!]]"
*** Said seamstress was hired because some people just don't get euphemisms.
** Mentioned several times is the original guild of firefighters, disbanded because of their tendencies to stand around peoples houses saying things like "looks like a very inflamable house there, it'd be shame if something happened to it"
*** Which is almost RealLife, as is often the case with Prattchett: Marcus Licinius Crassus, who created the first Roman fire brigade, had his men ''start'' fires so that business was never slow.
** Subverted in ''Discworld/TheTruth''. Vetinari says he wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde, and his clerk ''thinks'' this is Doublespeak, but no, he ''literally'' wants no harm to come to Mr. De Worde.
* In ''Literature/TheScrewtapeLetters'', the humans that the demons are attempting to damn are referred to as "patients".

* Sinjir in ''Literature/StarWarsAftermath'' was a Loyalty Officer for the Galactic Empire. His job was actually about weeding out ''disloyalty'', by torturing and killing those alleged to be disloyal, rather than about encouraging actual loyalty.

---> '''Gimli''': "In the language of Orthanc help means ruin, and saving means slaying, that is plain".

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* ''Series/BabylonFive'': All the expeditions that were sent by Earth to Vorlon space disappeared. The Vorlons said that they had met with accidents and suggested they send no more expeditions into their territory.
* In ''Series/SonsOfAnarchy'', the characters refer to murder as "meeting Mr. Mayhem."

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* In the Greek play ''Theatre/{{Agamemnon}}'' many of Clytemnestra's speeches are filled with double meanings.

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* The Maverick Hunters from the ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' games refer to their work as "retiring" the mavericks.
** Which is extraordinarily likely to be a translator's ShoutOut to the identical euphemism in ''Film/BladeRunner''.
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', the Morag Tong is a legal [[MurderInc assassin's guild]] which is sanctioned by the Dunmeri government as an alternative to destructive {{Allowed Internal War}}s between the [[TheClan Great Houses]] which weaken the Dunmer overall. As such, the Morag Tong insists that they do not commit "murders" or even "assassinations", they perform ''Honorable Executions''. However, given that they are the high-class, honorable {{Professional Killer}}s in contrast to the [[TheSyndicate gangly, thuggish Cammona Tong]] and the treacherous [[PsychoForHire Dark Brotherhood]], they do manage to keep a higher moral ground (and technically, the Morag Tong do not usually "murder" -- they're legally ''allowed'' to pursue their Writs of Execution, as a flip side to the strict restrictions on who and when writs can be granted for, though they do sometimes dabble in illegal writs known as "Gray Writs").
** In one quest from ''Skyrim'', a note to a [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]] interrogator authorizes him to use "Intermediate Manual Uncoiling" on a prisoner. You later get to see [[ColdBloodedTorture exactly what that means.]] The scariest part of this is that the word "Intermediate" implies it ''could be worse''.

* In {{Webcomic/Terinu}} the Varn Dominion, which conquered Earth 500 years previously in the comic's back story, employed the "Department of Social Harmony" as its propaganda and secret police division among its population of servitors.

* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': When Shego proposes to infiltrate [[ArmsDealer Jack Hench's]] research facility to "find some free samples", Drakken scoffs that Hench never gives out free anything, then realizes that she actually means stealing something.
* The WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon "Slick Hare" and the WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle cartoon "Flying South" each play the "having you for dinner" invite only for it to mean they're the dinner.

** Parodied in a ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}} strip where the PointyHairedBoss gives some employees the option to be re-purposed, re-organized, or re-assigned. The final panel has Catbert asking him how many people volunteered to be fired without knowing it.
*** In another strip, the PHB tells a worker his job was re-considered, that he was put in the mobility pool, etc. The worker irritates the PHB by not getting it.
*** In one of the books, Adams extrapolated from the then-current "rightsized" to the future "happysized", "splendidsized", and "orgasmsized".
*** It's entered the current jargon so well that people draw a distinction between being "fired" and being "laid off." "Fired" means losing your job because you screwed up, while "laid off" means losing your job for budget reasons. Immediate results are the same[[note]]In Anglophone jurisdictions, at least. Some other countries have equivalent terms with actual legal differences behind them[[/note]], but it's easier to get a new job after being laid-off than after being fired. The older equivalent phrases, "termination with prejudice" and "termination without prejudice" dropped out of favor for sounding overly confrontational ("termination with ''extreme'' prejudice" is in [[NeverSayDie a different ballpark]] all together).

Use of polite euphemism, typically by {{Weird Trade Union}}s, {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s, {{Sleazy Politician}}s, {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s, mafia insurance salesman, or [[SpySpeak spies]], especially for their targets, actions or [[FrontOrganization gathering places]] like the LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub.

Not an UnusualEuphemism. Subtrope of DoubleMeaning. Compare NeverSayDie, DeadlyEuphemism, or SuperFunHappyThingOfDoom. For the case when a character must speak to two different people at once to convey different information, see MultitaskedConversation.

* Parodied in WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons with future president Lisa's "temporary refund adjustment," which Bart inadvertently reveals on national TV to be a tax hike; nobody could figure it out otherwise.
** Also parodied in a recent WesternAnimation/TreehouseOfHorror episode, where, in a ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'' parody, Bart and Lisa agree to "prank" each others' teachers, and "ding-dong-ditch" them. Of course, by prank Bart means kill, and by ding-dong-ditch he means throw the ding-dong in a ditch.

* The Morag Tong operatives from ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' do not commit murders: they perform Honorable Executions. However, given that they are the high-class, honorable [[ProfessionalKiller assassins]] in contrast to the gangly, thuggish Cammona Tong and the treacherous Dark Brotherhood, they do manage to keep a higher moral ground (and technically, the Morag Tong do not usually murder -- they're legally ''allowed'' to pursue their Writs of Execution, as a flip side to the strict restrictions on who and when writs can be granted for, though they do sometimes dabble in illegal writs).
** In one quest from ''Skyrim'', a note to a Thalmor interrogator authorizes him to use "Intermediate Manual Uncoiling" on a prisoner. You later get to see [[ColdBloodedTorture exactly what that means.]] The scariest part of this is the "Intermediate."

* ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' is one of the Ur-Examples. While not actually a TropeNamer--the phrase "Doublespeak" [[BeamMeUpScotty does not appear]] in the novel, though "doublethink" does (albeit with no relation)--it certainly brought the idea of using euphemisms to a new height. The Ministry of Peace is in charge of war; the Ministry of Truth is in charge of propaganda; the Ministry of Plenty is in charge of rationing; and the Ministry of Love is in charge of maintaining a climate of fear.
** Actually, the Ministry of Love's role is fitting with its name: its role is to make sure people love Big Brother
** Orwell expanded his thoughts on this in his essay "Politics and the English Language", where he claimed that euphemisms and flowery language was a way for people to hide bad intentions and legitimize immoral actions.

* Saruman in ''Literature/TneLordOfTheRings'' is a prominent example, and the ''only'' one in this particular book. Gimli even lampshades it early on, after hearing him rebuke Théoden.

* In ''TheScrewtapeLetters'', the humans that the demons are attempting to damn are referred to as "patients".

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* ''Film/{{Brazil}}'' has its dystopian government having an "information retrieval" division. We would call information retrieval ColdBloodedTorture and the employees of the department [[TortureTechnician Torture Technicians]].

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]'' is one of the Ur-Examples. While not actually a TropeNamer-- the phrase "Doublespeak" [[BeamMeUpScotty does not appear]] in the novel, though "doublethink" does (albeit with no relation)--it certainly brought the idea of using euphemisms to a new height. The Ministry of Peace is in charge of war; the Ministry of Truth is in charge of propaganda; the Ministry of Plenty is in charge of rationing; and the Ministry of Love is in charge of maintaining a climate of fear.

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--> '''Boss:''' Oh, and... perhaps you'd like to join me later for... a spot of light refreshment?
-->'''Henchman:''' (irritably) ''Do'' you mean anal sex?
-->'''Boss:''' Well, yes...
-->'''Henchman:''' Alright then.

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* The source of the quote at the top of the page: Frank Nitti in ''The Untouchables'' uses the above line to threaten Eliot Ness.

** Similarly, Léon the assassin in ''Film/TheProfessional'' refers to himself as a "cleaner". Mathilda sees right through his words and asks him to teach her to "clean" also.

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** Similarly, Léon the assassin in ''Film/TheProfessional'' refers to himself as a "cleaner". Mathilda sees right through his words and asks him to teach her to "clean" also.

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'''Louie:''' I thought you meant ‘hot-sync’ it. You know how it is with us, everything means kill!

[[AC:Real Life]]

* Parodied in TheSimpsons with future president Lisa's "temporary refund adjustment," which Bart inadvertently reveals on national TV to be a tax hike; nobody could figure it out otherwise.
** Also parodied in a recent TreehouseOfHorror episode, where, in a ''Film/StrangersOnATrain'' parody, Bart and Lisa agree to "prank" each others' teachers, and "ding-dong-ditch" them. Of course, by prank Bart means kill, and by ding-dong-ditch he means throw the ding-dong in a ditch.