# Kicking the Bucket

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 4, 1999, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123 "1999-12-04T04:59:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Little\_Ricky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@Little\_Ricky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Ricky)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123/1 "1999-12-04T04:59:00Z")

</div>

Does anyone know how the term “kick the bucket” originated? Has it always been a metaphor for death?  
Thanks…

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JBENZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b77776/32.png) [@JBENZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBENZ)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123/2 "1999-12-04T05:13:00Z")

</div>

Here ya go:  
[http://www.word-detective.com/back-a2.html#bucket](http://www.word-detective.com/back-a2.html#bucket)

* * *

JB  
Lex Non Favet Delicatorum Votis

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lvick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d07c76/32.png) [@lvick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lvick)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123/3 "1999-12-04T22:19:00Z")

</div>

Well, I would hazard the WAG that it doesn’t predate the invention of the buckett 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123/4 "1999-12-05T21:10:00Z")

</div>

I believe it first came into use when Colonel Sanders died.  
😉

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kicking-the-bucket/5123/5 "1999-12-05T23:28:00Z")

</div>

Well, if you don’t like that term, you could always borrow mine. Whenever the head individual of a religious group expires, I refer to that event as “He went to check the validity of his claims.”