How do you say it?

B_Stronzo

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Growing up in New England popular colloquial euphemisms for dying are:

1) He/she bought the farm

2) He/she shit the bed

But lately I've noticed everyone (network and local news references to Jackson and Fawcett) seems to be using the term "Farrah Fawcett passed yesterday".

I thought it was "passed away".

Leaving off the "away" seems new agey or as if she could have inadvertently let fly some wind.

What is wrong with simply saying "so and so died yesterday". After all they did.

This "passed" thingy is fairly new and brings to mind the now-popular "so and so has gone missing" (I think that's English) rather than "disappeared" as would have been said ten years ago.

Oh and I'm forever hearing "put the dog down" when it was - at least here - until ten years or so ago "put the dog to sleep".

Two days ago my friend's son said "I think I'll put Nicky down" (referring to the infant's afternoon nap). For a moment I was dumbstruck.

The other one that make me nuts is "road/school closures"

Isn't it "road/school closings" ??

Now I'm hearing "signage" for "signs" too.

The language appears to be either changing rapidly or more-probably being improperly used (abused?) ..
 

HazelGod

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The wife has an amusing book written some while ago on class structures in the USA...entitled Class, no less.

One of the contentions set forth is that the more florid and further from reality the euphemisms used, the lower one's class generally tends to be. It gives the example:

Lower class:
Suzette is in a family way.

Middle class:
Amy and Jim are expecting.

Upper class:
Buffy is pregnant.

The same principle holds regarding euphemisms for death.
 

Northland

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Growing up in New England popular colloquial euphemisms for dying are:

1) He/she bought the farm

2) He/she shit the bed

But lately I've noticed everyone (network and local news references to Jackson and Fawcett) seems to be using the term "Farrah Fawcett passed yesterday".
Really, they say this when speaking of Michael Jackson kicking off?
I thought it was "passed away".

Leaving off the "away" seems new agey or as if she could have inadvertently let fly some wind.
What does it matter if they've bit the dust whether you use the word 'away' in the description? Either way they're dead.

What is wrong with simply saying "so and so died yesterday". After all they did.
Not if they met the reaper the day before yesterday. (although I get the point)

This "passed" thingy is fairly new and brings to mind the now-popular "so and so has gone missing" (I think that's English) rather than "disappeared" as would have been said ten years ago.

Oh and I'm forever hearing "put the dog down" when it was - at least here - until ten years or so ago "put the dog to sleep".

Two days ago my friend's son said "I think I'll put Nicky down" (referring to the infant's afternoon nap). For a moment I was dumbstruck.

The other one that make me nuts is "road/school closures"

Isn't it "road/school closings" ??

Now I'm hearing "signage" for "signs" too.

The language appears to be either changing rapidly or more-probably being improperly used (abused?) ..
You want to get annoyed you should here the idiots doing news reports with "such and such happened on XYZ Ave. No longer is it knwn as an Avenue. That drives me nuts. Of course they can't predict the weather for the next hour either so I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised.

Back to death: Kicked the can
Kicked off
Bit the dust
Met the (grim) reaper
Passed over
Bought the farm (pasture, fields)
Crossed over
Stopped worrying
Joined the angels
Turned cold
Went to see their ancestors
Became worm food
Left to visit St. Peter
Croaked
Got called home

I have others if you need them.
 

IntoxicatingToxin

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I say died or passed away. Depends on who I'm talking about and who I'm talking to. One thing I hate tho? "He/she is no longer with us." -.-

I had an ex boyfriend that committed suicide a few months after we broke up. I tried to contact him, and his sister in law told me he was longer "with us". I thought she was trying to tell me he'd moved out. That was an awkward conversation.