O Level English Question

I am not surprised that you failed to get O Level English Language Escapee.

The last word of your post should be spelt "euphemism"

I don't think it's a euphemism. Euphemisms usually put things in a kinder way, so for example "those lefties over there are between jobs".

And between baths.

In that sentence, "refuk" is best described as a euphemistic alteration (or minced oath) of "****", not as a synonym.

Here's why:

A synonym is a different word with the same or nearly the same meaning. For example, begin and start are synonyms.
A euphemism is a milder or less offensive way of expressing something that might otherwise be considered harsh, vulgar, or unpleasant.

"Refuk" appears to be a deliberately altered spelling of "re-****" or, more likely, a disguised version of "go **** themselves". The altered spelling softens or obscures the profanity while leaving the intended meaning obvious to readers.

More precisely, linguists would often call this:

a euphemistic alteration,
a minced oath, or
a disguised profanity.

So if you had to choose between your two options:

Synonym? No.
Euphemism? Yes, or more precisely, a euphemistic alteration of a profanity.

^^^ ChatGPT ^^^