I'm writing a piece on funerals (don't ask why...) and while writing, I wanted to use the words "death," "dying," and "dead" as little as possible. I could easily think of several euphemisms and idioms for the aforementioned but wanted to find a few other terms and phrases. So, of course, I Googled it and came up with several interesting options. It seems to me that mystery writers might find this useful, even though this list is far from complete..
CRASS TERMS:
Dirt Nap, Worm Food, Go Into The Fertilizer Business, Sleeping With Fishes, Six Feet Under, Kicked The Bucket, Pushing Up Daisies, At Room Temperature, Bought The Farm, Rubbed Out, Snuffed Out, Checked Out, Tits Up, Buying a pine condo.
ONE WORD TERMS:Expired, Demised, Passed, Succumbed, Deceased, Departed, Taken, Perished.
PHRASES:
Danced the last dance, Gone into the West, Bought a one-way ticket, Gave up the ghost, Joined the invisible choir, Shuffled off the mortal coil, With his ancesters.
FROM ODYSSEUS
Crossed the River Styx, Wandering the Elysian Fields, Paid Charon's fare.
GENTLE TERMS:Resting in peace, Asleep, Gone to meet their maker, That goodnight, In a better place, Going to the eternal reward, Breathed his last.
I think I like 'danced the last dance' best :-)
ReplyDeleteI liked that one and shuffled off the mortal coil. Call me old fashioned by hey!
ReplyDeleteA great list! Thanks.
ReplyDelete"Dirt nap" pretty much does it for me! Good list.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gloria - dirt nap pretty much sums it up. Although I did find some interesting other suggestions, although they may be a bit too poetic for modern fiction: http://www.vastpublicindifference.com/2008/08/101-ways-to-say-died.html
ReplyDeleteMy favorite from that list is probably "Joined the Congregation of the Dead" because it creates a great mental image for me. Okay, back to the land of the living - thanks for the great post!