Saying softly, indirectly, or in disguise something harsh, ugly, or unmentionable.
In The Master and Margarita
Wouldn't it be better to throw a party with these twenty-seven thousand and, after taking poison, pass into the other world to the sound of strings, surrounded by beautiful drunken women and cheerful friends?
"Pass into the other world" is a mild way of saying to die, dressed up with "the sound of strings," "beautiful drunken women," and "cheerful friends." The disguise makes the suicide sound like a party and sharpens the calm cruelty of the proposal.