Kick the bucket, where does that saying come from?

Question

I have an idea, but need cofirmation?

Answer 1

I think it's from when people would hang themselves from a tree or something, stand on a bucket to do it and then 'kick the bucket' away so they would hang. Not very pleasant really.

Answer 2

Actually it comes from back several years when people slaughtered their own hogs. The wall used to hang the hog on was called a "bucket wall" because they put a bucket under the animal to catch the drippings. In the meantime the animals feet would swing to hit the wall or "kick the bucket wall" hence kick the bucket. So when someone died they started to say they had "kicked the bucket".

Answer 3

The wooden frame that slaughtered animals were hung from is known as a bucket. The death spasms of the animals caused them to kick the bucket.

Answer 4

It has to do with hanging dead animals in slaughter houses. The hook is or was called a bucket and the animals (tied from their feet) appear to be "kicking the bucket"

Answer 5

Milking. When a maid would sit and milk the cow only to have the cow kick it over and lose all the milk. A bad thing for the cow should it happen too often, as the milk yield on that particular one would then be low and so would be killed for meat..

So goes a story my mum once told me. She is full of them....

Answer 6

I would assume that someone kicked a bucket.

Answer 7

well apart from being a euphemism for death could it have something to do with the fact that bodies spasm for a few moments as death occurs and therefore anything in the way gets touched, kicked, etc.

Answer 8

No idea but don't go trying it just to find out will you.

Answer 9

me