was wotd|2007|December|6
Wikisaurus-link|die
English
Etymology
There are many theories as to where this idiom comes from, but the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) discusses the following:
A person standing on a pail or bucket with their head in a slip noose would kick the bucket so as to commit suicide. The OED, however, says this is mainly speculative;
The OED describes as more plausible the archaic use of "bucket" as a beam from which a pig is hung by its feet prior to being slaughtered. To kick the bucket, then, originally signified the pig's death throes;
Bucket may be a derivation of the old French word buchete (meaining butcher) hence to kick the buchete - and the change into English but retation on the meaning
A more credible explanation is given by a Roman Catholic Bishop, The Right Reverend Abbot Horne, F.S.A. He records on page 6 of his booklet "Relics of Popery" Catholic Truth Society London, 1949, the following:
"After death, when a body had been laid out, � and � the holy-water bucket was brought from the church and put at the feet of the corpse. When friend came to pray� they would sprinkle the body with holy water .. it is easy to see how such a saying as " kicking the bucket " came about. Many other explanations of this saying have been given by persons who are unacquainted with Catholic custom"
Pronunciation
a|RP|US IPA|/�kɪk ð� �b�kɪt/
audio|en-us-kick the bucket.ogg|Audio (US)
Verb
kick the bucket
- context|idiom|euphemism To die
#: The old horse finally kicked the bucket.
- context|idiom|slang Of a machine, to break down such that it cannot be repaired.
#: I think my sewing machine has kicked the bucket.
Synonyms
See Wikisaurus:die
Translations
trans-top|to die
Albanian: drodhi këmbën idiom (literary: "twitched the leg")
Afrikaans: skop die emmer ("kick the bucket"), gee die gees ("give up the ghost"), steek die lepel in die dak ("stick the spoon into the roof"), gaan bokveld toe ("go to (the) buck/goat field"), verwissel die tydelike met die ewige ("exchange the temporary for the eternal), blaas sy laaste asem uit ("blow ones last breath out")
Czech: zaklepat ba�korama idiom (literary: "to clap a pair of slippers")
Dutch: de pijp aan Maarten geven, het loodje leggen
French: crever
Finnish: potkaista tyhjää (lit. "to kick a void")
German: den Löffel abgeben (give away the spoon)
Italian: crepare
Japanese: ���� (kutabaru)
trans-mid
Polish: kopn�� w kalendarz, odwali� kit�
Romanian: a da colţul ("turn around the corner"), a-�i da duhul ("give one's soul"), a da ortul popii ("pay a coin to the priest")
Russian: ��г�а�� в ��ик ("play into the casket"), по�и�� в бозе ("sleep in God(solemn or ironical)"), п�е��ави����, и�п���и�� д�� ("let go the spirit"), п�иказа�� долго жи�� ("order to live long"), о�кин��� коп��а ("throw away the hooves"), п�о��н��� ноги ("stretch the legs"), да�� д�ба ("give some oak")
Spanish: estirar la pata ("stretch the leg") or colgar los guayos'' ("hang the football shoes")
Swedish: kila runt hörnet ("go around the corner"), ta ner skylten ("take the sign down").
Telugu: బాల��� తన�న� (baalchee tannu)
trans-bottom
trans-top|to break down beyond repair
Icelandic: eyðilegjast, deyja, drepast
trans-mid
trans-bottom
See also
buy the farm
Category:Death
fr:kick the bucket
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