Literal translations of euphemistic idioms for to die across Europe

Sources: [1][2]

Many languages have multiple idioms to express dying, so the most common one might not be shown for some countries.

Posted by AgonizingFatigue

32 Comments

  1. lizzy_tachibana on

    For Bulgarian as well:

    * gushna buketa (hugged the bocquet) + u/vihruska is right you can swap the buket for bosilek, chishmir, kitka, etc (basil/boxwood/another word for bouquet/etc)

    * otide na kino (went on a cinema)

    * izpya si pesenta (sang their song)

  2. For Greece also:
    – Saw the chicories upside down (from below)
    – Saw the cypresses upside down (from below)
    – Went to the thyme bushes

  3. Kicked the void, yes, but also:

    to move from time to eternity, to move to more blissful hunting grounds, to throw their crank, to change diocese, to join the air force, to join the straight-legged association, to throw a spoon in the corner etc.

  4. AgonizingFatigue on

    Additional one for the UK/English language:

    to push up daisies [from the grave underneath the soil]

  5. ChaoticBisexual_13 on

    In Hungary, in addition to that, we say:

    “Kicked up the boots” and “Smells the violets from below”

  6. Let me add my favorite from Norway, that my mom uses: *..crossed the stream / ..crossed the river*

  7. For French there’s also “Il a passé l’arme à gauche” which kinda translates to “He put his weapon to the left”.
    It’s more of a military thing but I like this one

  8. We have many of such phrases.

    Yes laying the lead is one of those.

    “giving the pipe to Maarten”

    “He has a garden on his belly”

    “He is *kassiewijle*” (from Yiddish, “disappeared”)

  9. In northern Serbia (Vojvodina) we also say “threw the spoon”, similar to what they say in Bavaria. Makes me wonder if the saying was passed down from German immigrants.

  10. Lazy-Restaurant-5520 on

    Also in Portugal : the spanish one plus “gave the last breath” ; “gave the master fart” ; “went to the wood sign garden”; “he’s making brick”; “went from this one to better”.

  11. I know it’s beside the point, but it’s funny seeing Greece and Turkey shaded the same colour. Welcome back, Ottoman Empire, I guess.