Why do people use so many different phrases to avoid saying that someone or a pet has died? I'm thinking passed on, gone for the long sleep, rotting in hell, and all the other nonsense that people come out with.
Is it only a british thing?
I remember seeing a funeral in Corsica once and it seemed to be a much more cheerful affair than the funerals we have here.
Bereft of life they rest in peace.
We have lots of phrases for lots of things.
There is great variety in the way we can express ideas.
etc
Bike, Bicycle and push bike is it just us Brits or do other nations have more than one word or expression for something?
Bike, Bicycle and push bike is it just us Brits or do other nations have more than one word or expression for something?
You forgot "steed" and the hilarious "dandyhorse".
You forgot "steed" and the hilarious "dandyhorse".
My apologies I guess I'm not as British as I thought I was.
I can safely say that the British don't handle death all that well.
I think it's mainly because English is a living language, it grows.
"Half a day out with the undertaker". Always liked that particular Dibnah-ism.
Oh, O.K., I'll do it...
There needs to be different ways to say it as people deal with grief and death in different ways.
I get what you are saying, but why is a diverse lexicon something to complain about?
Thanks Mr Woppit...haven't seen that for a few years. Good to see it's still around.
This thread is deceased, not pinin'! passed on! is no more! has ceased to be! expired and gone to meet 'its maker! a stiff! Bereft of life, rests in peace! pushing up the daisies! metabolic processes are now 'istory! off the twig! kicked the bucket, shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX THREAD!!
Do other nations and religions have such a word as "euphemism"?
Maybe us Brits are peculiar in our own way at coming up with something a bit more light-hearted/less serious to describe something?
Bike, Bicycle and push bike is it just us Brits or do other nations have more than one word or expression for something?
Bici, bicicleta, la burra, la flaca / gorda (depending on road vs. mtb), probably others I don't know.
Being afraid to consider one's own mortality and an inability to understand/comprehend that something (including oneself) can simply cease to be. People tend to prefer a phrase which suggests a continuation of the self, albeit in a different place, because it's comforting for them. Grief is selfish.
Much of our Funeral tradition is a leftover of the Victorian era, including the euphamisms for death. I much prefer the New Orleans jazz funeral tradition.
Bici, bicicleta, la burra, la flaca / gorda (depending on road vs. mtb), probably others I don't know.
Sorry for sharing a little eddication, Drac. Won't do it again.
Anyway, the Spanish also have quite a few words and phrases for dying, too. So it's not just a British thing.
I want clowns at my funeral
Why are you thinking about death?
Here in the US we have all sorts of words/phrases to describe death as well---it's a subject that people here certainly seem uncomfortable with in general and use just about every description except "dead/dying".
+1 Bikemonkey They know how to go out in style in New Orleans--lived/worked there for a few years and it's quite the event when they do a proper Bourbon Street soiree.
Never been to an official Irish wake, but hear they can do a pretty good sendoff.
I had to write about a couple of deaths recently and chose "passing" & "passed away" both times. Sounded softer than died. Strange as I probably wouldn't when speaking to someone...
I think it's getting more and more prevalent. And Americans do it much more than us Brits. 'My father passed away this year', '6 months since XXX left us'... It does p*ss me off, as it seems to be avoiding the issue. They died.
My sister died. My father died. It's horrible but no point evading it. I don't believe in any form of after-life, so it would be silly to imply they've 'gone somewhere else'. Perhaps that's why people do it though? If they believe in a religion then they don't think death is final?
most people are scared of death.
Kev
I think that we try to ignore death in the uk, its still a taboo, maybe we're hoping it'll go away.
We hide our old away and take no note of their aging and their lessons learnt in life, we set off on our youthful jorney in ignorance of the lessons of our elders.
We live for our youth and not in the knowing that our egg timer is running out.
We shun the signs of aging and decay and spend more time attempting to look youthful and offset the coming of the reaper.
We are taught to be afraid of death which is instilling an unavoidable upset and leaves us with no tools for dealing with his arrival but grief and sorrow as opposed to happyness and fond memories of the ones we have loved who's time has come.
Err ... what was the question.....
Why do people use so many different phrases to avoid saying that someone or a pet hasdiedhad a crap?
Death, poo, weather, body parts - all with extensive and varied phrases. It is the beauty of our language. You picking on death says more about you than the language used.
In Denmark it's just dead. Nobody passes away and there isn't much skirting around the issue.
So and so is dead (død) and that's that
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