- removal
- 1. a murderBut not necessarily making off with the body.DSUE says: 'Ex a witness's euphemism in the Phoenix Park assassination case'. (On 6 May 1882 Burke and Cavendish, the Permanent Under-Secretaiy for Ireland and the Chief Secretary, were hacked to pieces with surgical knives in Phoenix Park, Dublin.Five of the murderers were hanged, but the killings led to a harsh Prevention of Crimes Act, the abolition of trial by jury, and a worsening of relations between England and Ireland.)2. dismissal from employmentVenerable enough to be noted by Dr Johnson in 1755.3. a burialMoving the corpse for the last time before the resurrection:Very few had attended Bridget Manning's removal... Halpin had photographs of the burial. (J. Kennedy, 1998)
How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. R. W. Holder. 2014.