Sir, – Frank McNally's musings on the American weakness for euphemism (An Irishman's Diary, March 1st) reminds me of the day I bought a small hand-held translator, the size of a mobile phone, which offered words in English, French, Spanish and Italian. As a test I put in the French word "batard". I pressed the "English" key and what came up was "son of a gun." I returned the euphemistic American gadget to the shop and got my wherewithal back. – Yours, etc,
RONAN FARREN,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.