what's your favorite euphemism for dying? (in english or otherwise)

mine is kicking the bucket (for english) or looking at the radishes from below (in german)

those make me chuckle sometimes

80 points · 66 comments · view on lemmy.world

66 Comments

tiredofsametab@fedia.io · 31 pts · 240d

He bought the farm. The tragic backstory being that the man was farming on land he was still paying off a loan for and his life insurance pays for the farm for the widow (though that wasn't even always the case).

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 29 pts · 240d (1 reply)

The Dead Parrot Sketch has a few of my faves

GraniteM@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 240d

"Gone up and joined the choir invisible" is a winner.

PhobosAnomaly@feddit.uk · 25 pts · 240d

Brown bread: an instance of cockney rhyming slang for "dead". Difficult to use outside of the UK.

Mortally challenged: always good in a heavily moderated or corporate environment where every negative is somehow lexically spun into a positive, no matter how ludicrous.

One way ticket to Switzerland: hopefully a soon-to-be-outdated joke about taking advantage of their more liberal assisted dying laws.

BootLoop@sh.itjust.works · 20 pts · 240d (5 replies)

I like "kicked the bucket" or "gave up the the ghost". The latter I said recently and got mocked because they'd never heard it and apparently it's "not a real saying".

io@piefed.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 240d (1 reply)

"den Geist aufgeben" it is a saying in german, it's more used when you talk about machines tho, i would translate it to "give up the spirit"

rbos@lemmy.ca · 8 pts · 240d

In English we have 'gave up the ghost' which easily could have come from German. Also applies mostly to machinery.

burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 239d (1 reply)

I've always heard gave up the ghost applied to machines. I've never even thought about it in regards to people. Odd how it basically has the same meaning but is focused on a particular thing to me.

BootLoop@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 239d

It is possible that I'm using the phrase wrong, I've done that lots haha. I always picture an old timey cartoon where the ghost rises out of the person and then returns to the body after doing something

Shelena@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 239d

"Gave up the ghost" is at least fine in Dutch.

kalpol@lemmy.ca · 19 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Kicked off

Left the plane of existence

Shuffled off this mortal coil

Exited the building

Please for the love of everything sacred dont say unalive

WoodScientist@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 239d

Please for the love of everything sacred dont say unalive

Deanimated.

TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works · 18 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Dirt nap

janus2@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 239d

a favorite of my PA semi-hick family

brap@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Pushing up daisies has always been a favourite.

Frostbeard@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 240d

Also a funny and rather unique tv show

zout@fedia.io · 15 pts · 240d

"He's wearing a wooden boiler suit" is a Dutch one I like.

state_electrician@discuss.tchncs.de · 13 pts · 240d

"Beyond the veil", because it sounds poetic.

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 13 pts · 240d (1 reply)

[off topic]

Medical people I know tell me that when they have to actually give the family the news they don't use euphemisms. No 'they passed,' or 'they are in a better place.' "They died." You have to be blunt with really shocking news.

burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 239d

It's hard, but yeah, it can be really, really hard for the person you're conversing with to not believe the best option (even if zany) about whatever you say. So if you say someone 'passed' they will almost immediately chuckle thinking it's about passing gas or stool, or that they've been moved to post-op for 'they are in a better place.'

It also lets you squirt out of there quicker, which is a really, really bad way to think about it, but every time I've tried to soften the blow it ends up being more of a 'grab the bacon while crying' day rather than a 'turn to family and hold onto them' day.

rwdf@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 240d

Å parkere tøflene - to park one's slippers.

PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S@lemmy.sdf.org · 12 pts · 240d

Sometimes I like to tell people that my family has "two of those subterranean breed cats"

Coelacanth@feddit.nu · 10 pts · 240d

It doesn't really translate well, but in Swedish "trilla av pinn" (slang/casual phrasing roughly meaning fallen off the branch/stick/bar).

I think it originates from farming circumstances where hens are sitting on bars in henhouses, laying eggs until they, well...

Manjushri@piefed.social · 10 pts · 240d

Mine is from an old movie, The Last Starfighter. A human and an alien are discussing an attack on their base and the people killed in the attack.

Alex Rogan : You mean they're dead?

Grig : [scoffs] Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of them as battling evil in another dimension.

sgibson5150@slrpnk.net · 9 pts · 240d (1 reply)

I like "teats up" and "cark it". 😄

TheJesusaurus@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 240d

Spotted the brit

Blum0108@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 240d

Aged out of voting

jimi_henrik@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 240d (6 replies)

Dropping the spoon. :)

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 4 pts · 240d (5 replies)

Where's that from?

Thanks

jimi_henrik@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 240d (2 replies)

I've heard it from a Hungarian friend.

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 3 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Thanks again.

jimi_henrik@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 240d

You're welcome.

Kornblumenratte@feddit.org · 2 pts · 239d (1 reply)

German as well.

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 1 pts · 239d

I can see how that one would cross a few borders.

Okokimup@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Casual Geographic on YouTube uses tons of fun euphemisms. Things like getting taken off the census, or hooking up to God's wifi.

corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 239d

That guy is also a national treasure.

Sequence5666@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 240d

In our city (marathi) they say “He went off” and also in (Hindi) they say “He went through”

qevlarr@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 240d

Quit smoking

owsei@programming.dev · 6 pts · 240d

"Virou estatística" "They are now statistics".

"Ir de base" "Going to the base". Reference to games where you respawn at a base.

"Ir de arrasta para cima" "Swiped up". No ideia why that exists but it's great

"Ir de submersível" "Went like a submersible" Reference to the billionaire submarine that imploded

All of the "ir de" ones can use "foi de" to say them in the past

JayleneSlide@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 240d

"Reached the clearing at the end of the path" - Stephen King, "Dark Tower"

In the process of dying: "Circling the drain."

Okokimup@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 240d (1 reply)

American Sign language has some of the best.

First

Second

I cant find a video of the one I Learned in college. Involves the fingers of one hand springing up suddenly from behind the other, like the legs of a dead spider.

archiboldtheseed@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 239d

The first one was the one I was going to mention! It makes me chuckle morbidly every time.

slampisko@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 239d (1 reply)

A favorite of mine is "zaklepal bačkorama" ~ he clacked with his slippers. It's really fun to say in Czech

Griffus@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 239d

On the same note, a Norwegian saying is "han/hun har parkert trøflene" - "he/she has parked their slippers"

ImgurRefugee114@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 240d

Went to a farm up state

turdburglar@piefed.social · 4 pts · 239d

keeled the fuck over.

or keeled over if you’re in polite company.

twatterdale@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 239d

Back to the mud - Joe Abercrombie

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 240d

Got rid of his grey hair and dyed.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 239d (3 replies)

Mine is: “睇橋” (Visiting the bridge)

Its a euphemism for me wanting to kill myself.

There's a bridge near where I live, I looked it up on Google Street view. There's no suicide barriers. I could just jump off.

I say that to my mother, then she just be like "want me to drive you there?" (she knows I'm talking about suicide) as like taunting me or something.

(But seriously, I'm not sure about the lethality, don't wanna end up only half dead, so nah, probably gonna get a gun for that. It's 'Murica, baby)

lavander@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 239d

Before that, may I suggest to visit a therapist?

What do you have to lose? On the flip side if you end up realising that your depression can be addressed, you may enjoy life again

janus2@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 239d (1 reply)

that is a cunt ass thing for a parent to say to their kid (for anyone to say to anyone really)

cynar@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 239d

It can depend a LOT on the existing family dynamics. It could be harsh as fuck. However it could also be a way to say both "stop being a drama queen" and "you have my support and my ear in whatever you do".

whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 239d (1 reply)

"it may be years

It may be hours

But sooner or later

We all push up flowers." - Florist, Grim Fandango

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y25BR42lyBo

archiboldtheseed@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 239d

"Pushing daisies" is a very good one.

cristian64@reddthat.com · 4 pts · 239d

Signed out.

dajoho@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 239d
[ removed ]
some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 239d

Graduated

Shelena@feddit.nl · 3 pts · 239d

"Hij heeft een tuintje op zijn buik." = "He has a garden on his stomach." is a Dutch saying. I think it is specifically from Amsterdam

Nomecks@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 240d

"The spark of his life is smothered in shite" - A Knight's Tale

WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org · 2 pts · 240d (1 reply)

Slapped the ass.

io@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 240d

get outta here xD

corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 239d

My family just says "left us." "Grandad left us in 2009."

Dogs, though, cross the Rainbow Bridge.

rozwud@beehaw.org · 2 pts · 239d

Kicked the bucket.

My dad had a good sense of humor. When he died, he left us his "Kicked the bucket list" with all of the information about accounts we needed to cancel, put in my mom's name, etc. Having all that in one place made it a lot easier to work through all that shit while we we grieving.

JakenVeina@midwest.social · 1 pts · 237d

"And if they bury you ass-up, I'll have a place to park my bike."

jimmy90@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 239d

planted

kark it

Yaky@slrpnk.net · 1 pts · 238d

Some nonsensical ones in Russian: "сыграл в ящик" ("played the box game"), "откинул копыта" ("kicked back their hooves"), and "склеил ласты" ("glued their flippers/fins")

TotallyNotSpezUpload@startrek.website · 1 pts · 240d
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Griffus@lemmy.zip · 0 pts · 239d

Parkere trøflene - park the slippers