Fussell calls out all kinds of indirect or euphemistic "polite" speech as middle-class. "Passed away" versus "died", even. "High" speech is much more direct. Y

Fussell calls out all kinds of indirect or euphemistic "polite" speech as middle-class. "Passed away" versus "died", even. "High" speech is much more direct. You don't butter people up before asking for something, or apologize for being a bother, for example. You just ask. You don't dance around what you want, or what happened, you simply state it.