Yeats or maybe Auden or perhaps Pound (probably all three) said that the only subjects worthy of poetry are sex and death.
Thus, in honor of those great poets, a list to draw on:
depart
expire
croak
keel over
kick off
bite the dust
pass on
pass away
perish
succumb
answer the final summons
answer the last call
breathe your last
take the long sleep
cash in your chips
climb the golden staircase
coil up your ropes
cross the great divide
give up the ghost
go to a better world
go to meet your maker
go the way of all flesh
lay down your knife and fork
shuffle off this mortal coil
pull a cluck
step off
step onto the last bus
tip over
cross over
buy the farm
take an earth bath
take a dirt nap
Hi Jerry,
Reading or hearing “take a dirt nap” always makes me think of this scene:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdbZEXfPwmg
Classic! Thanks for reminding me of this, Tim. Now it’s time for my mid-afternoon bacon break.
Hi Jerry:
Thanks for exploring “euphs.”
Allow me to add three:
1. gone to glory
2. gone to the happy hunting ground
And, here’s one I’ll further explain. Max, our six-year-old grandson, has lost two grandmothers within the past two years.
“Where did your granny go?” a visitor asked young Max one night as the two sat on the porch swing.
Max pointed to the western sky. “See her? She’s right over there. I talk to her all the time.”
“What do you mean, Max?”
“She’s a star,” the child replied, his wide brown eyes filled with unrelenting certainty.
Maybe some day, when his time comes, Max too will help light up the night skies.
I hope so.
Norris
Great story, Norris. It’s easy to imagine that many people through the ages believed in a system like Max’s.
Hi, Jerry:
As a physician, I’ve become accustomed to the terms
“celestial discharge” and
“code,” as in “If this call night gets any worse, I’m gonna code.”
One resident above me in my training once said, “If you don’t fix that potassium (level), he’s gonna
‘buy the eight ball’.”
Just my two cents!
Thanks for the additions, Norris and Jeff. I’ll be pondering “buy the eight ball” for a while. “Celestial discharge” and “gone to glory” seem just right.
My dad sometimes said that a person had “moved out to the scull orchard”.
I sure do miss that man!
Haven’t heard that one. It sounds like your dad had an interesting way with words. And it’s perfect for cherry country…