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The Sunday Magazine

Passed away? Kicked the bucket? Euphemisms for death and dying

Kick the bucket. Put to bed with a shovel. There are 200 euphemisms meaning "to die", in the English language. But it's not just us. In France, it's "swallowing your birth certificate". In Cuba, "moving to a face-up neighbourhood". In Denmark, "leaving your clogs behind".
CBC Radio ·
The AHS numbers show the 60 Albertans who have been granted medically assisted deaths since the beginning February came from across the province. They included people who suffer from a range of conditions, such as cancer, multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. (CBC)
Kick the bucket. Put to bed with a shovel. There are 200 euphemisms meaning "to die", in the English language. But it's not just us. In France, it's "swallowing your birth certificate". In Cuba, "moving to a face-up neighbourhood". In Denmark, "leaving your clogs behind". What stops so many of us from telling it like it is?  Using the plain words - death, dying, died? Not surprisingly, there is more than one answer to that question. Frank Faulk's documentary is called A Word About the Deceased.

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