It originated in a poem about World War I that was respectful, but it can sound a bit callous. the idea here is that the buried bodies are below the flowers, and how this phrase will be received depends on how you say it. no one’s sure where this phrase comes from, but we do know it inspired the “bucket list,” or the list of things someone does before they, well, kick the bucket. They’re six feet under. - generally, people are buried six feet under the earth.They’re a stiff. - refers to the process of rigor mortis that stiffens the body after someone dies.They’re belly up. - a reference to the fact fish tend to float with their stomachs upward when they die.They’re toes up. - if your toes are up, you’re lying down, and so…dead.These are phrases that can be used for comedic effect, but can also come off as very cruel in certain contexts. Sometimes, you have to approach death with a laugh. possibly originating in a 17th century English translation of the Christian Bible, this phrase means that a person’s spirit has left their body (though calling someone’s soul or spirit a “ghost” is not common anymore). They laid down their life. - another sacrificial phrase.this one appears in Hamlet, and it makes sense it would be popularized by William Shakespeare, the king of English drama. They were cut down (in the prime of life).Death is dramatic, of course, but saying one of these could earn you some weird looks in the 21st century. There are a number of phrases about dying that are dramatic, either because they’re not common anymore or because they’ve just always been a bit over-the-top. Usually when you hear this, people have good intentions, but know that not everyone will appreciate it. while we’re listing these last three in the “respectful” section, we’ll note that not everyone likes referring to a fight with a disease as a “battle.” Recent research has even found war imagery to be actively harmful in how people think about cancer. this phrase started to appear in World War I, and perhaps was an allusion to the sun disappearing in the west. It’s also a concept used so often in cartoons it has essentially become its own genre. some Christian denominations envision heaven’s entrance as pearly gates, with St. possibly the most common English death euphemism. Many of these refer to religious beliefs, which are only respectful if the person who died subscribed to them. These are the euphemisms that soften the blow of what’s being said. These words appear when people just don’t want to keep saying “died.” Neutral Death Euphemismsįirst, there are euphemisms that are pretty much synonyms. We divided them up into some broad categories to show the different ways people use death euphemisms. You wouldn’t say someone is worm food at their memorial, for example. The Most Common Death Euphemisms In EnglishĪs already said, death euphemisms are meant to act as softer versions of the word “died,” but they don’t all work the same way. While some speak for themselves, we’ll also delve into the history and meaning of some of the stranger phrases. To help out the morbidly interested, we compiled some of the most common euphemisms for death in the English language. Someone new to English has to learn countless ways of saying “they died,” and even native English speakers can be thrown off by a regional phrase. While death euphemisms may be useful in softening the news of someone’s passing, it also can cause some undue confusion. As life expectancy has gone up and our funerals have become more sterile, death has become more and more hidden, physically and linguistically. Sure, it’s never exactly been a happy subject of conversation, but it was once a more blunt fact of everyday life. While it’s impossible to calculate which topic attracts the most euphemistic phrasing, there’s one kind that reliably pops up again and again: death euphemisms.ĭeath wasn’t always as taboo a topic as it is today. That’s why there are so many roundabout ways to talk about sex, money and anything else considered inappropriate in polite company. This is something that you’re likely using constantly, whether you’re describing an obnoxious person as “a strong personality” or a badly cooked meal as “not to my taste.” But to make a general rule, the more taboo a topic is, the more euphemisms there are for it. At its most basic, a euphemism is a word or phrase that’s a softer substitute for a blunt expression. You can tell a lot about a culture by looking at its euphemisms.
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