About to kick the bucket
Meaning
To be very close to dying or reaching the end of one's life.
Origin
The macabre phrase 'kick the bucket' traces its origins to the grim reality of 16th-century slaughterhouses. Here, livestock were often hung by their heels from a sturdy wooden crossbeam, known then as a 'bucket'—a word rooted in the Old French 'buquet,' meaning a balance or hoisting tool. As the animals were killed, their death throes would cause their legs to involuntarily thrash and strike against this beam. This visceral image of a final, convulsive kick against the 'bucket' gave the idiom its dark, literal foundation. Over time, it evolved into a popular euphemism for death, shedding its gory specifics but retaining the powerful image of that last, involuntary act. 'About to kick the bucket' then simply emphasizes the imminent nature of this final moment.
Examples
- My old dog has been looking frail for days; I think he's about to kick the bucket.
- After a lifetime of adventures, the old captain felt he was about to kick the bucket, so he started telling his grand tales one last time.