Kick the Bucket
Meaning: To die (informal, and often a little humorous).
Have you heard someone say someone "kicked the bucket"? It’s a euphemism for dying, but where did it come from? One theory suggests that in the past, people stood on a bucket to hang animals for slaughter. When the bucket was kicked away, it marked the end. Today, it's used in a less graphic way—for example: "He made a bucket list of things to do before he kicked the bucket."
How to use it
It’s casual and slightly jokey, so use it for things, old machines or light-hearted talk, not when someone you’re speaking to has just lost a person. In serious or kind moments, say “passed away.” A “bucket list” comes from this idiom: things you want to do before you die.
Examples
- My old laptop finally kicked the bucket, so I need a new one.
- Traveling to Iceland is at the top of my bucket list.
- That printer is about to kick the bucket. It jams every day.
A common mistake
Don’t use it about a real death to someone who is grieving. It can sound disrespectful. Also keep the words together: kick the bucket, not “kick a bucket” or “kicked the buckets.”
Where it comes from
No one knows for sure. The most common theory: “bucket” once meant a wooden beam that animals were hung from before slaughter, and the animals would kick against it. The phrase has been used for dying since at least the 1700s.
Say it out loud
Tabbi Daily gives you one short lesson like this every day. Listen, record yourself and hear how you sound. Free, no account needed.
Source: The Phrase Finder