Kick the bucket is a humorous or informal way to say someone has died. It is a common English idiom that means to die. It is typically used in informal or lighthearted contexts rather than formal or respectful situations.
This popular term for a list of things to do before one dies is directly derived from the idiom "kick the bucket".
While the exact origin is debated, the most prominent theories include:
Theory #1: The slaughterhouse in 16th-century England, the word "bucket" (possibly from the French buquet) referred to a wooden beam or yoke used to hang animals by their feet for slaughter. As the animals thrashed in their final moments, they were said to "kick the bucket".
Theory #2: The suicide/hanging; this theory suggests a person committing suicide would stand on an upturned bucket with a noose around their neck and then kick the bucket away. However, many etymologists consider this to be folk etymology with little historical evidence.
Theory #3: The catholic tradition involves the practice of placing a bucket of holy water at the feet of the deceased so visitors could sprinkle the body.
The phrase is often used for inanimate objects, such as an old car or machine that has finally stopped working. In a medical context, a "kick bucket" is a literal piece of equipment—a stainless steel bin on casters used in operating rooms to collect surgical waste.
