2747: Layered Idioms Jun 28, 2024

The word phrase is pretty generic, but an idiom is a type of phrase where the literal meaning of the words together could not indicate the meaning of the phrase. Because of the inherently indiscernible nature of idioms, they commonly pop up as euphemisms, obscuring a darker or more taboo topic. In the case of “bucket list” (i.e. things to do before one dies), this is a euphemistic idiom built upon another, namely “kick the bucket” [to die]. “Bucket list” is a fairly modern term staying true to its origins, but as with many old idioms “kicking the bucket” has obscured the original meaning of the component words, here that it was not ‘bucket’, but rather the French ‘buquet’, a device used to hold pigs in place to slaughter them.