Pushing Up Daisies and Other Euphemisms for Death

Pushing Up Daisies and Other Euphemisms for Death Pushing Up Daisies and Other Euphemisms for Death Pushing Up Daisies and Other Euphemisms for Death By Maeve Maddox A new television drama with the title Pushing Daisies put me in mind of all the euphemisms English has for naming the act of dying or the state of being dead. Some are solemn, but many are humorous and not intended for the ears of a newly grieving person. Pushing up daisies conjures up a pleasant picture of green grass and pretty flowers above the dearly departed. This expression gives us the title of the new TV show, and is referenced in the darkly humorous lyrics of Poor Jud Is Dead from the musical Oklahoma: Poor Jud is dead The daisies in the dell Will give out a different smell Because poor Jud is underneath the ground. The television drama Six Feet Under took its title from another common expression for being dead, six feet being the depth to which a grave is dug. Some other common idioms for being dead are: being in Abrahams bosom, sleeping the big sleep, having gone to ones narrow bed, having gone to ones reward, having met ones maker, and having gone to feed the fishes. That last one is for someone who died by drowning. Probably the most common and gentlest euphemism used to announce that someone has died is passed away, or simply passed. Another gentle expression is to breathe ones last. Other euphemisms for the act of dying are more colorful than consoling. to bite the dust often used of cowboys or desperadoes and suggests a violent end. to buy the farm this one may have originated as soldiers slang, the idea being that soldiers dreamed of surviving the war and going home to a peaceful existence, perhaps on a farm. However, there was an earlier expression, fetch the farm, which was prisoner slang for being sent to the infirmary. to cash in ones chips a gambling metaphor: when the chips are exchanged for money, the game is over. Kenny Rogerss The Gambler is an extended metaphor for card game as life and death. to give up the ghost to modern ears this probably suggests a Caspar-type ghost floating up out of a dead body. The original meaning of Old English gast was soul, spirit, life, breath. In some prayers we find the formula Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. to croak probably from the death rattle heard when a person dies. to kick the bucket Ex. When I kick the bucket, you can have the Harley. So, the old coot finally kicked the bucket! Popular etymology links this term to the idea of committing suicide by standing on a bucket and then kicking it away. More likely, the expression originates from the practice of hoisting animals to be slaughtered to a beam or pulley arrangement called a buquet. In English this French word came to be pronounced like bucket. The animals were hoisted by their heels and could therefore be said to be kicking the buquet/bucket as their throats were slashed. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SThe Four Sounds of the Spelling OUWriting Styles (with Examples)