#234, Bucket
kick the bucket v. to die
In 1785, in the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, the term “kick the bucket” first appeared. Like many English idioms, its origin is unclear. Some speculate that the term bucket refers to a restraint that was used to hold pigs by their heels so that they could be slaughtered. In their death-throe spasms, the pigs created the impression that they were “kicking the bucket”.
From this rather gruesome idiom came the more ubiquitous term— bucket list. A bucket list consists of things that a person would like to accomplish or do before they “kick the bucket”. This list starts from a very early age. As the world reveals itself to us, we start to take in all that it can offer to us. At first, the lists are often simple.
Buy a Ferrari.
Dig up buried treasure.
Climb Mount Everest.
Win the World Cup.
Marry Ariana Grande/Tom Holland.
Achieve world peace.
Defeat that kid from class who I loathe in front of my friends and family and then drink their salty tears.
As we age, our preferences become more defined and specific and the bucket lists become more nuanced. Though the bucket list may only exist in our minds, the desires are very real. So, before you kick the bucket, what would you like to do?
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Describe one item on your bucket list in detail. Why is this meaningful or important to you?
Comment on a peer’s response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher