Re: Common World Idioms

John Cowan wrote:
>
> Roger Mills scripsit:
>
> > Don't recall ever hearing about its origin-- must
> > google! It's very old; oddly, I've always associated
> > it with cows kicking over the bucket while being
> > milked, but don't see what that has to do with dying.
> > On Apr. 12, 1945, my little 9yr old cousin came
> > running home from school and shocked his mother
> > by saying "Guess who just kicked the bucket!?" (A:
> > President Roosevelt)
>
> I've always assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that it refers
> to kicking away the bucket you are standing on when
> you hang yourself.

There seem to be two common explanations.

1. Kicking away the bucket when hanging oneself.

2. When animals were slaughtered on a farm, they
would first be tied by their hind legs to a large beam.
The beam was known as a "bucket." Then the animals'
throats would be cut. With their last breath, their
muscles would contract and their hind legs would "kick"
against the beam; hence, they kicked the bucket.

--Ph. D.