Someone died. How do you phrase that?
By Fleur
@Fleura (29677)
United Kingdom
January 13, 2021 5:23am CST
Death is an inevitable part of life, but nevertheless for a long time people seem to have shied away from actually saying the words ‘they died’. All kinds of euphemisms have been used such as ‘went to Heaven’, ‘passed away’ ‘passed on’, ‘departed this life’ even (rather scarily) ‘fell asleep’, not to mention humorous turns of phrase such as ‘pushing up the daisies’.
But over the last few years a new phrase has started to turn up - saying that a dead person ‘has passed’.
I don’t know where this has come from but it’s very confusing. When someone says, for example, ‘my sister just passed’ the immediate response is to say ‘Congratulations!’ thinking they must have passed some professional exam or perhaps a driving test. This can then lead to confusion and embarrassment on both sides.
Obviously posting this here isn’t going to have much effect on what seems to be a widespread phenomenon, but please, if you can, avoid this confusing phraseology!
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2021.
13 people like this
6 responses
@allknowing (132209)
• India
13 Jan 21
The phrase 'he/she expired' is much in use
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
14 Jan 21
i must confess i'd rather folks use such terminology, seems a bit gentler to the ears.
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
13 Jan 21
I always use the term, "they croaked", @Fleura .
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
14 Jan 21
@Fleura And if somebody says, "You mean your relative was a frog?" I say, "Yup, my sister."lol
1 person likes this
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@Deepizzaguy (99643)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
13 Jan 21
I agree with you since one phrase that I do not get is when some says "He or she bought the farm."
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (99643)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
15 Jan 21
@Fleura I heard the saying on a World Wrestling Federation (WWF) when "Mean Gene" Okerlund (RIP) talking to former pro wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts who was a heel wrestler who had a snake as his partner telling a story that someone had passed away who he knew.
1 person likes this
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