Is there a more positive term for "desk rejection"? I wish to ask a journal's editor if my manuscript will be "desk rejected" (for, if not, it will be peer-reviewed).  He and I both know what that means, but I'd rather say it without prejudicing my submission.
What are you trying to do?


If you've already submitted your article but the status remains "Submitted to journal", you could ask for an update on the status of review.
If you've already submitted your article and the status has updated to something like "Reviewer invited", then your article is likely not being desk rejected because if the journal was desk rejecting, they would not be inviting reviewers.
If you've not submitted your article and are wondering if they will desk reject it, you could ask whether the journal is willing to consider your article.