Amusing Euphemisms for Death

Author:: Theophanes Avery

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