09 October 2008

Words relating to death

Here's a little bit of background on popular sayings about death. Can you guess which show gave me the idea?

Kick the bucket

It might be derived from O.Fr. word for bucket (buguet) that means "a beam from which slaughtered animals were hung".

Pushing Daisies


Dates back to early 20th century. Origin uncertain. Damn.

Graveyard Shift

Surprisingly young word (either I am an old foggy or early 20th century doesn't seem too far away). Apparently has nautical origin, which used to mean "the loneliness of after-hours work".


Source:
Etymology Online

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