Public Trust reveals “kick the bucket” as NZ’s preferred euphemism for death
Media release
November 2024
A new survey reveals the extent New Zealanders will go to actively avoid talking about death, and our preference to use humour and euphemisms like "kick the bucket" and "carked it" when describing death.
The research was carried out by Public Trust so they could understand the best way to support Kiwis with these daunting conversations.
It found that 57% of New Zealanders were ‘uncomfortable, fearful, reluctant’ or ‘avoid discussing death altogether’ versus 24.9% who were ‘comfortable talking about death directly’ and 15.5% who felt it was ‘a natural part of life’.
The survey of 875 people also asked New Zealanders to share their "go to" way of describing dying. ‘Kick the bucket’ came out on top, followed by ‘passed away’, ‘pushing up daisies’, and ‘bite the dust’.
“As a nation we actively avoid talking about death. We struggle to find the right words, so we prefer to use humour to deflect the topic,” says Public Trust Chief Executive Glenys Talivai.
“The issue is that so many people are reluctant to talk about, and plan for the inevitable. Every year we help thousands of Kiwi write their wills, so we need to find a way to open up a conversation with those who are reluctant to talk directly about death," continues Talivai.
Close to 50% of New Zealanders have a will and Public Trust is encouraging more people to cross it off their to do list. “There are so many reasons why it’s important to have a will for you and your family. Once you’ve done it, you can get on with living.
“Phrases like ‘kick the bucket’ or ‘gone to a better place’ are a way-in for people to talk about something that is going to happen to all of us. It’s crucial that we prepare ourselves and our loved ones for what happens when we die.”
The survey highlighted that many of our preferred end-of-life phrases have stood the test of time. While the homegrown Kiwi saying, “Suck the kumara”, had a small fan base, it didn’t make the top 20.
‘Kick the bucket’ – is thought to have derived from a practice associated with the slaughter of livestock. The word ‘bucket’ used to describe a beam that can be used to hang things on, coming from the French ‘trébuchet’ or ‘buque’, meaning balance. It appears in 1811’s the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose, which was a lexicon of slang and colloquial expressions compiled in the early 19th century and is defined simply as ‘to die’.
‘Bite the Dust’ dates back to the late fourteenth century where lick the dust which Oxford English Dictionary identifies as "a Hebraism," and which also appeared in Greek epic the Aeneid written by the Roman poet Virgil between 29 and 19 BC. “Procubuit moriens et humum semel ore momordit.” (He lay dying and bit the ground once with his mouth).
‘Pushing up daisies’ - some records have it (with flower variations) appearing in 1860, while others date the idiom to earlier. It appears in Wilfred Owen’s First World War poem, ‘A Terre’: “I shall be one with nature, herb, and stone.” Shelley would tell me. Shelley would be stunned, The dullest Tommy hugs that fancy now. “Pushing up daisies,” is their creed, you know.
Other well recognised phrases that made the top 20 list included ‘Gone to a better place’, ‘Bought the farm’, ‘Taking a dirt nap, ‘Joined the great beyond’, ‘Carked it’, ‘Shuffled off this mortal coil’ and ‘Crossing the rainbow bridge’.
ENDS
Note to editor: the survey of 876 people was carried by insights platform Ideally in September and October 2024.
Kick the bucket
Passed away
Pushing up daisies
Bite the dust
Carked it
Six feet under
Met their maker
Gone to a better place
Bought the farm
Passed on
Shuffled off this mortal coil
Crossing the rainbow bridge
Gone to heaven
Taking a dirt nap
Expired
Rest in peace
No longer with us
Joined the great beyond
Sleeping with the fishes
Final curtain call
About Public Trust
The role of Public Trust is to empower all New Zealanders to build and protect their legacies.
Established 150 years ago, we are a self-funding autonomous Crown entity. Public Trust provides trustee and comprehensive estate administration services for individuals through our Retail business, and corporate trustee, supervisory and custodial services through our Corporate Trustee Services business. We also have an important part to play in the charitable trust sector. Our Investment team manages around $1.4 billion of funds (as at 30 June 2024), primarily for charities, estate beneficiaries, and students (through our Fee Protect service).
