Let's learn some idioms related to death (II)

Hiya! 
How did you spend your Halloween night? Did you dress up and eat lots of candy? Did you watch some horror movies or was it just a normal night?
As you know, last Thursday was All Saints' Day, the day when we remember our loved ones that departed long time ago. In fact, last week, to somehow celebrate Halloween I wrote an entry on some words related to death. Today I intend to continue that entry by writing about some idioms and euphemisms meaning "die" or "pass away". There are lots of expressions involving dying in English and some of them are really quirky!

1. Kick the bucket

From: https://grammarstammer.weebly.com/words-to-the-wise/kick-the-bucket-bucket-list

Interesting expression, don't you think? In Spanish we call this: "straighten your leg." Its origin is not very clear but it is believed that in the past, people hanging in a noose would kill the bucket to release the rope and commit suicide. 

2. Six feet under

From: https://co.pinterest.com/pin/349521621065419434/

This expression deals with the place where people are buried after they die. It all dates back to seventeenth century London where the Great Plague was killing the population. The mayor of London then ordered to bury the corpses, at least, six feet under to avoid the spread of the disease. This expression has then survived until the present moment and it was even the name of a well-known TV series. 

3. Push up daisies

From: https://www.123rf.com/photo_8032315_an-image-representing-pushing-up-daisies-.html

Well, the origin of the expression is blurred but it obviously refers to the fact that daisies eventually grow up on the land where the dead are buried. 

4. Bite the dust


This expression seems to have originated in the Bible and it is associated to destruction and death. Nowadays, other than dying, it also means 'being defeated in a competition'. 

5. Give up the ghost

From: http://lelandnqgrekin.blogspot.com/2010/06/give-up-ghost.html

Once again, its origin traces back to the Bible. Give up the ghost can be interpreted as 'becoming a ghost oneself', that is, dying. But it can also be used with machines and devices when they stop working.

6. (Be/become) food for worms
I will just save the picture with this expression so as not to be gross, but I suppose you get the real picture. If you become food for worms that means you are dead and worms will feed from you...

7. Take a dirt nap

From: https://www.pinterest.es/pin/154389093451057064/

Well, the meaning is quite clear, isn't it? If you take a dirt nap it means, you're dead and buried. Not very pleasant, I must say.



8. Cash in (one's chips)

From: https://confusingtimes.tistory.com/304

You cash in your chips in a casino as a final step, when you want to go home with your cash. By the same token, you cash in your chips when you die as a final step in your life.

9. Draw your last breath 

From: https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-05-26/what-to-expect-when-someone-is-dying/8550490

Sad though it sounds, when you draw your last breath that means you stop living, normally after a long illness. 

10. Turn belly up

From: https://www.amazon.com/Belly-Up-FunJungle-Stuart-Gibbs/dp/1416987320

If you turn belly up, that means you can no longer turn belly down. Its origins may have to do with fish, which turn belly up when they die.

11. Meet one's Maker

From: https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2015/11/02/synonyms-for-dying/

Well, this expression has a religious value. You meet your Maker in the afterlife, after you have passed away.

12. To be dead as a dodo / doorknob / rock / doormat / graveyard / doornail

From: https://www.singularityweblog.com/why-humanity-is-dead-as-the-dodo/

The use of similes is a good way to emphasize that someone is dead. My favourite one is 'dead as a dodo'. As you know, a dodo is an extinct animal that died long time ago.

13. To have one foot in the grave


This expression refers to someone who is about to die. 

14. Pop your clogs

From: https://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/pop-your-clogs/

The origin of this phrase is unclear, but it's another way of referring to death. 

15. Buy the farm

From: https://www.pinterest.es/pin/26317979052476333/

One of the possible origins of this idiom may be related to war. When pilots were injured in war and died their planes sometimes crashed into a farm and the farmer sued the state for compensation. Sometimes, the state had to buy the whole farm. 

It is quite clear that death is present at all times and this is reflected in the language as there are a great deal of expressions associated to it. Which one is your favourite? 

It's Halloween! Let's learn some expressions and vocabulary related to death (I)

The night of the dead is approaching... As you know, next Wednesday, 31st October is Halloween! Are you ready to go trick-or-treating and eat candy until you pass out? Are you eager to dress up and see cute children dressed up roaming the streets for candy? Halloween is one of the best moments for children, especially in the US!! Over the last years, I have written some entries on Halloween traditions and Halloween symbols. This year, however, I intend to write a more special entry. Given that  Halloween takes place the night before All Saints' Day, where the dead are said to come back to life, this entry will explore the different word to refer to death:

1. The dead

From: http://www.impawards.com/2008/day_of_the_dead.html

The people that died are the dead and are said to come back to life on the night of the 31st October. 

2. The death

From Wikipedia

The death is the figure wearing a hood and carrying a scythe whose sole job is to take the soul of the people that are going to die and make sure they die. No one, not even the rich, can escape it!

3. Casualties

From: https://ubisafe.org/explore/casualties-clipart-hospital-stretcher/

Casualties are the people killed in war or accidents. 

4. Pass away

From: https://mbtskoudsalg.com/explore/death-clipart-pass-away/

A euphemistic way to refer to the action of dying. As you can see in the image, you pass away when you go from the side of the living to the other side (the side of the dead).

5. To be killed

From: https://imagecomics.com/content/view/rapid-fire-printings-for-kill-or-be-killed

This expression has two similar but closely related meaning. A person is killed when they are assassinated or murdered by others. However, people are also killed when they die in an accident or other circumstances, for example, last year thousands of people were killed in car accidents. 

6. Perish
This verb used in literature and in formal registers indicate the action of dying as a result of a long process. After enduring the illness for three years, he finally perished. 

7. Decease
In the jargon of law, a decease is a synonym for death and the deceased are the dead. 

8. Demise
A synonym for death in formal English.

9. The departed 
The departed are the dead, the people that we have lost and are no longer with us. 

10. Drop dead
When someone dies unexpectedly

11. Bereavement / grief
Intense sorrow as a result of losing a dear one. 

From: https://www.dementiauk.org/grief-bereavement-and-loss-in-dementia/

12. I'm sorry for your loss
These are the words one utter to comfort a person that has lost someone dear. In this case, the loss is a euphemism for death. 

13. RIP (Rest In Peace)
These are the initials that appear in the dead's tombstone. From Latin requiescat in pace, it means that the departed is now at rest. 

From: http://r2d.wikia.com/wiki/File:Rip-clipart-rip-gravestone-md.png

Well, I hope you now have enlarged your lexis concerning death and are now ready to begin the Halloween season. Next week I'll be writing another entry on idioms and expressions related to dying. Have a nice spooky and terrible night of the dead!