The hapless victim, having climbed onto a bucket to put their head in the noose, would literally ‘kick the bucket’ in their death throes. kick the bucket definition: 1. to die 2. to die 3. infml to die. Origin: When killing a cow at slaughterhouses, people would place a bucket under the animal while it was positioned on a pulley. Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, p. 787. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kick_the_bucket&oldid=994858774, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 December 2020, at 22:18. Kick the calendar To die Slang, informal Polish saying. When the pail is kicked away, the victim is hanged. Another theory relates to the alternate definition of a bucket as a beam or yoke that can be used to hang or carry things on. Synonyms for kick the bucket include die, decease, perish, demise, croak, depart, drop, end, expire and fall. A third theory suggests that the origin of the phrase comes from the Catholic custom of holy-water buckets:[6], After death, when a body had been laid out ... the holy-water bucket was brought from the church and put at the feet of the corpse. ‘This would be an optimum age to kick the bucket, I feel, as I'd never have to suffer the indignity of reaching 40.’ ‘The film's title refers to a wish list that two terminally ill men try to fulfill before each kicks the bucket.’ ‘I always wanted to have a rich relative who kicked the bucket and left all his money to me.’ Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. It does seem a bit far-fetched that a bucket was such a common device in hangings. I have decided to donate my organs when I kick the bucket. This is part of a complete episode. Another theory of the origin of "kick the bucket" traces the phrase to a method of hanging oneself by standing on a bucket, tightening the noose, and then kicking away the bucket. Term is derived from when suicides were common by a person preparing to hang themself, and used a bucket to stand on, and then kicked the bucket when suicide was desired. Phrase used to say someone is dead or has deceased. "The doubts OED has about the Scandinavian origin of kick are probably unfounded" [Liberman]. 2. The OED, however, says that this is mainly speculative; An archaic use of bucket was a beam from which a pig is hung by its feet prior to being slaughtered, and to kick the bucket originally signified the pig's death throes. Origin and usage. But the true origin of the term “kick the bucket” goes even further back. Kick the bucket - definition of kick the bucket by The Free Dictionary. A common theory is that the idiom comes from a method of execution such as hanging, or perhaps suicide, in the Middle Ages. Instead, like the examples listed above, it provides us with a comfortable way to address a potentially uncomfortable subject. Not unnaturally they were likely to struggle or to spasm after death and hence 'kick the bucket'. In the children's game, as I remember it, the one kicking the bucket releases all the prisoners and wins; the one who is "it" loses. If the origin is 99% established then the meaning must rate as 100%. If the origin is 99% established then the meaning must rate as 100%. Learn more. [To gibbet meant to hang]. The OED finds this a more plausible theory. That meaning of bucket was referred to in Peter Levins' Manipulus vocabulorum. Older sources guessed it to be from Celtic. Useful advice if standing on a bucket - don't kick it. Kick the bucket definition: to die. She kicked the bucket . There are references to a different meaning of 'bucket list' online and in print that pre-date 2006. Origin The wooden frame that slaughtered animals were hung from is known as a bucket. A common theory is that the idiom refers to hanging, either as a method of execution or suicide. Life, Wishes. Origin Theories. To kick the bucket "die" (1785) perhaps is from an unrelated bucket "beam on which something may be hung or carried" (1570s), from French buquet "balance," a beam from which slaughtered animals were hung (by the heels or hooves). What does kick the bucket expression mean? One common theory is of hanging, when a person standing on a bucket with a noose over the head kicks the bucket and hence, dies. This guide covers the meaning of kick the bucket, offers some theories about its origins, and also provides examples of a few similar phrases to help you thoroughly understand this death euphemism’s significance. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.219.5.61 06:24, 21 July 2009 (UTC) What does kick the bucket, to expression mean? Phrase used to say someone is dead or has deceased. This phrase likely refers to the act of kicking the bucket out from under a victim of hanging, breaking their neck and causing almost instant death. (1989). When friends 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. Goodbye! Yet another theory seeks to extend the saying beyond its earliest use in the 16th century with reference to the Latin proverb Capra Scyria, the goat that is said to kick over the pail after being milked (920 in Erasmus' Adagia). However, there is no evidence to support this. When the pail is kicked away, the victim is hanged. What does Kicked the bucket expression mean? The second theory uses a bit of linguistic history. Kick the bucket To kick the bucket is an English idiom, considered a euphemistic, informal, or slang term meaning "to die". A noose is tied around the neck while standing on an overturned bucket. While trying to adjust the animal, the cow would kick out its legs and therefore kick the bucket before being killed. This expression is used to refer to someone's death in a light-hearted or... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples For as long as I can remember, in Britain, the expression “kick the bucket” has meant to DIE. Alternatively, in the moment of death a person stretches his legs (Spanish: Estirar la pata means "to die") and so might kick the bucket placed there. The phrase first appeared in print in the "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" in 1785. To “kick the bucket,” then, is the sign of the animal’s being dead, and the origin of the phrase may probably, … For as long as I can remember, in Britain, the expression “kick the bucket” has meant to DIE. I'm afraid she kick the bucket before me if she meets you. 8. Its origin is unclear, though there are several theories. Kick the bucket: To die Informal In suicidal hanging. Why should kicking one be associated with dying? Bucket list comes from the phrase ‘to kick the bucket’ which is a figure of speech meaning … The wooden frame that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. What does kick the bucket expression mean? Learn more. Meaning: It is a euphemistic and colloquial way to say “to die” (eg. Portuguese words for kick the bucket include morrer and falecer. The most widely accepted theory is that it was minted in 2007 by Justin Zackham, while writing the screenplay for the movie "The Bucket List . Its origins are fairly gruesome! The term may have been introduced into English from the French trébuchet - meaning a balance, or buque - meaning a yoke. Kick the bucket Last updated March 31, 2020. She kicked the bucket . Synonyms for kick the bucket include die, decease, perish, demise, croak, depart, drop, end, expire and fall. The term 'kick the bucket' originated in the 16th century. The phrase first appeared in print in the "Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" in 1785. The other possible origin refers to a method of hanging oneself, which involved standing on a bucket, tightening the noose, and then kicking away the bucket. The 'things to do before you kick the bucket' source for 'bucket list' is obviously correct. Kick the bucket - definition of kick the bucket by The Free Dictionary. And the meaning of kick the bucket is 'to die' and along with the list, it means, the list of things which a person is willing to do before he dies. Bucket definition is - a typically cylindrical vessel for catching, holding, or carrying liquids or solids. … For anyone familiar with the process of butchering and hanging livestock, especially pigs, you might have heard “kicking the bucket” used to describe the flailing and kicking that occurs when a pig is hung upside down and its throat is cut. In John Badcock's slang dictionary of 1823, the explanation is given that "One Bolsover having hung himself from a beam while standing on a pail, or bucket, kicked this vessel away in order to pry into futurity and it was all UP with him from that moment: Finis". Kick The Bucket - Origin Theories. “he kicked the bucket” ) or, if referred to a machine (e.g. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! To “kick the bucket” simply means to die. Bucket list comes from the phrase ‘to kick the bucket’ which is a figure of speech meaning ‘to die’. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. John Camden Hotton, The Slang Dictionary, London 1865. Bucket, I may add, is not only well known in Norfolk in this sense, and commonly used, but with some of our folk is the only word known for the article in question. That mountain while standing on an overturned bucket the biblical phrase that is in the biblical phrase that is the... Is 99 % established then the meaning must rate as 100 % the! 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