English idiom

kick the bucket

Register · Informal CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

Why this phrase?

The origin is uncertain — one story pictures a hanged man kicking away the bucket he stands on; today it is a jokey euphemism for death.

Example

“The old printer finally kicked the bucket.”

Dictionary details

Component words

bucket

Tags

death
humour

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

over the hill

no longer young or at one's best

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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