Its origin is unclear, though there are several theories. 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. 7. There are references to a different meaning of 'bucket list' online and in print that pre-date 2006. However, there are no citations that relate the phrase to suicide and, in any case, why a bucket? ing , kicks v. intr. For as long as I can remember, in Britain, the expression “kick the bucket” has meant to DIE. 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). Origin and usage. There is no evidence to support this claim, and it appears rather implausible. Its earliest appearance is in the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), where it is defined as "to die". However, there is no evidence to support this. This expression is used to refer to someone's death in a light-hearted or... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Origin Theories. Kick the bucket Last updated March 31, 2020. It has to do with an older meaning of bucket that refers to the wooden beam often found in a barn roof, where an animal carcass might be hung. One method of slaughtering a pig used to involve hanging it upside down from a beam in the barn designed for the purpose and called a “bucket.” In its death throes, the dying animal would then, naturally, kick the bucket. The expression "kek(e)rebu" is first recorded in 1721 with the meaning "to die" in the Krio language of Sierra Leone. [2] 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". Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! A dictionarie of English and Latine wordes, 1570: and was used by Shakespeare in Henry IV Part II, 1597: "Swifter then he that gibbets on the Brewers Bucket." Eventually, the whole thing wears down and we kick the bucket. 2. Origin and Etymology: Its first appearance dates back to 1785 in Francis Grose's work, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Look it up now! kick-the-bucket definition: Verb 1. Bucket list "list of experiences or achievements one hopes to have or accomplish during one's remaining life," is by 2007, ... sink at the knees." kick the bucket: [verb] to die. 1. Kick the bucket - definition of kick the bucket by The Free Dictionary. Look it up now! “the car kicked the bucket”), “to break down irreparably”.. The term may have been introduced into English from the French trébuchet - meaning a balance, or buque - meaning a yoke. 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. kick the bucket, to phrase. Sports a. Whatever African American usage might have been in the 19th century, by the 20th century they were using the idiom "kick the bucket". To “kick the bucket,” then, is the sign of the animal’s being dead, and the origin of the phrase may probably, … (1989). A noose is tied around the neck while standing on an overturned bucket. Swifter than he that gibbets on the Brewers Bucket. Meaning: v. pass from physical life and lose all bodily … Magnus Huber, Ghanaian Pidgin English in Its West African Context, John Benjamins Publishing Co. 1999. Justin Zackham is a screenwriter who used this term for the comedy-drama film named "the bucket list" in 2007. So, instead of saying “Ben died” we would say “Ben kicked the bucket”. The death spasms of the animals caused them to kick the bucket A person standing on a pail or bucket with their head in a slip noose would kick the bucket so as to commit suicide. Older sources guessed it to be from Celtic. At one time the American and Caribbean expression "kickeraboo" used to be explained as a deformed version of "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. The second theory uses a bit of linguistic history. 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). A common theory is that the idiom refers to hanging, either as a method of execution or suicide. Phrase used to say someone is dead or has deceased. What does kick the bucket, to expression mean? Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. ‘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.’ What does Kicked the bucket expression mean? [2] The word "bucket" still can be used today to refer to such a beam in the Norfolk dialect. Kick the bucket definition: to die. Useful advice if standing on a bucket - don't kick it. The death spasms of the animals caused them to kick the bucket His heirs were greedily waiting for him to kick the bucket. The wooden frame used to hang animals by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. Meaning Die. From Middle English gibet, from Old French gibet (French gibet), either from Frankish *gibb (“forked stick”) or from Latin gibbus (“hunchbacked”). It is believed that the origin of the term "bucket list" is closely related to the idiom "kick the bucket." The OED finds this a more plausible theory. 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. “Kick the bucket” is one of the most obscure and intriguing idioms in the English language (and one of my favorites). The wooden frame used to hang animals by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. 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. We all know what a bucket is - and so this phrase appears rather odd. This is part of a complete episode. But the true origin of the term “kick the bucket” goes even further back. To extend the leg away from the body; strike out with the foot or feet. A likely source of this phrase comes from pig farming. Also 'kick off' . Why should kicking one be associated with dying? When someone was sentenced to death, a rope was put around their neck and then the bucket they were standing on was taken away. Our researcher’s curiosity drove us to dig a bit more. 10. What does kick the bucket, to expression mean? [10] Earlier still "Kickativoo" is recorded in Ghana (then known as the Gold or Slave Coast). “he kicked the bucket” ) or, if referred to a machine (e.g. The old dog finally kicked the bucket when the winter got too harsh for him. When I kick the bucket, bury me on top of that mountain. The term bucket list is a relatively new one, popularized by a movie of the same name starring American actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman released in the early 21st century. Find more Portuguese words at wordhippo.com! [8] The expression occurs as the title of a mid-19th-century American minstrel ballad with the ending "Massa Death bring one bag and we Kickeraboo". Contents. Origin: When killing a cow at slaughterhouses, people would place a bucket under the animal while it was positioned on a pulley. Kick the bucket To kick the bucket is an English idiom, considered a euphemistic, informal, or slang term meaning "to die". ‘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.’ Kick the calendar To die Slang, informal Polish saying. [To gibbet meant to hang]. The term 'kick the bucket' originated in the 16th century. "The doubts OED has about the Scandinavian origin of kick are probably unfounded" [Liberman]. Find more similar words at wordhippo.com! 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". She kicked the bucket . To “kick the bucket” simply means to die. kick the bucket definition: 1. to die 2. to die 3. infml to die. According to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), its disputed etymology might come from: Someone standing on a bucket preparing to hang themselves, would then kick the bucket in order to commit suicide. [12] A related phrase is to "hand in one's dinner pail", a bucket that contains a worker's dinner. Portuguese words for kick the bucket include morrer and falecer. This act and the subsequent expression would have originated in the late middle ages of England. While trying to adjust the animal, the cow would kick out its legs and therefore kick the bucket before being killed. The wooden frame that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. Some believe the origin of the expression goes back to the days when public executions were the norm for various crimes from theft to murder. Origin. To kick the bucket is an English idiom, considered a euphemistic, informal, or slang term meaning "to die". See more words with the same meaning: to die . [2][4] The "bucket" may refer to the beam on which slaughtered pigs are suspended. [1] Its origin remains unclear, though there have been several theories. [5] Another variation, "bucket list", or a list of things to do before one dies, is derived from "to kick the bucket".[13]. I have decided to donate my organs when I kick the bucket. Thus a promising beginning is followed by a bad ending or, as Andrea Alciato phrased it in the Latin poem accompanying the drawing in his Emblemata (1524), "Because you have spoilt your fine beginnings with a shameful end and turned your service into harm, you have done what the she-goat does when she kicks the bucket that holds her milk and with her hoof squanders her own riches. Learn more. 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. A noose is tied around the neck while standing on an overturned bucket. kick the bucket: [verb] to die. Whenever I've needed something to stand on I can't recall ever opting for a bucket. 1. 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. The 'things to do before you kick the bucket' source for 'bucket list' is obviously correct. 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 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. His heirs were greedily waiting for him to kick the Bucket. What does kick the bucket expression mean? A bucket, or beam, was used to h… While the origins of the phrase kick the bucket might be more shocking than some expect, this phrase no longer has the intensely morbid connotations it may have had in the past. Origin and usage. [9] However, it is now thought that it may have derived from a native word in one of the West African creoles. Another, more plausible, theory refers to the archaic meaning of the word bucket, which used to mean beam in 16th century England. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples What’s the Meaning of ‘Kick the Bucket’? 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. Its origins are fairly gruesome! 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. Portuguese words for kick the bucket include morrer and falecer. Origin The wooden frame that slaughtered animals were hung from is known as a bucket. Kick the bucket: To die Informal In suicidal hanging. "[7] Here it is the death of one's reputation that is in question. If the origin is 99% established then the meaning must rate as 100%. One theory, regarding the origin of this idiom comes from the Middle Ages. Similar words: bucket, rock the boat, lick the dust, rickets, picket line, take the bull by the horns, buck, kick. Phrase used to say someone is dead or has deceased. It occurs in the jazz classic Old Man Mose, recorded by Louis Armstrong in the United States in 1935, and in the West Indies it figured in the title of the reggae hit “Long Shot kick de bucket”, recorded by The Pioneers in 1969. Origin and Etymology: If the phrase "kick the bucket " has its origins in the late 18th century, “bucket list ” is much more recent. Its earliest appearance is in the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), where it is defined as "to die". Definition of kick the bucket, to in the Idioms Dictionary. Origin Theories. 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. To kick the bucket is an English idiom, considered a euphemistic, informal, or slang term meaning "to die". Life, Wishes. What's the origin of the phrase 'Kick the bucket'? That meaning of bucket was referred to in Peter Levins' Manipulus vocabulorum. It does seem a bit far-fetched that a bucket was such a common device in hangings. Kick the bucket definition at Dictionary.com, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. ing , kicks v. intr. To extend the leg away from the body; strike out with the foot or feet. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. [2][4] William Shakespeare used the word in this sense in his play Henry IV Part II where he says:[2]. … The idiom “kick the bucket,” meaning to die, does not originate from the concept of kicking a bucket out from under one’s feet. 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