Amusing Euphemisms for Death
Theophanes is a New-England-based blogger, traveler, writer, photographer, sculptor, and lover of cats.
Why?
Below is a listing of euphemisms for death, die, kill, or to kill from all eras and dialects, from polite euphemisms to caustic colloquialisms, they're all here. Some are accompanied by their origin. Please do enjoy this bit of gallows humor my twisted little readers.
- At Room Temperature
- The Big Sleep (American slang 1940s - Coined by Chandler)
- The Big One (American slang 1940s)
- Belly-up
- Bloodless
- Bump off (To Kill - American slang)
- Bought a pine condo
- Cadaverous
- Checked out
- Cold
- Ceased to be
- Croak
- Crossed the River Styx (From Odysseus)
- Cash in
- Check out
- Conk
- Danced the last dance
- Dirt Nap
- Done for
- Erased
- Eat it
- Finished
- Fragged (possible military origin)
- Gone into the West
- Got a one-way ticket
- Gone for a ride
- Gone to meet their maker
- Inanimate
- In Repose
- Joined the choir invisible
- Kick Off (American slang 1940s)
- Kick the Bucket (to die - origin 1785, in reference to the bucket a hanged man stands on before it's kicked out from under him OR the rafters slaughtered animals hang from)
- Lifeless
- Late
- Liquidated
- Living Challenged
- Lost
- No Longer Running the Human Race
- Offed
- Off the twig
- Paid Charon's Fare (From Odysseus)
- Pushing Daisies
- Popped Off
- Rubbed Out
- Run down the Curtain
- Snuffed Out
- Stiff
- Snuffed
- Sprouted wings
- Succumbed
- Shuffled off the Mortal Coil (From Shakespear's Hamlet)
- Six feet under
- Sleeping with the fishes
- Taken
- Terminated
- Wandering the Elysian Fields (From Odysseus)
- Whacked
- Went into the fertilizing' business
- Wormfood
More from this Author:
Blogs:
Catching Marbles - A New England based travel blog
Tales from the Birdello - For all homesteading and farming matters
Deranged Thoughts from a Cluttered Mind - For funny personal anecdotes
FaceBook:
Through the Looking Glass Farm
Comments
Karen Schultz on June 10, 2020:
Back to dust
random person on March 26, 2010:
you forgot "no longer run in the human race
Catherine R from Melbourne, Australia on August 24, 2009:
I liked 'At room temperature' - which I haven't heard before.
Good list.
Zsuzsy Bee from Ontario/Canada on November 25, 2007:
Fun HUB
regards Zsuzsy