A euphemism is a common phrase used, usually substituted in place of offensive or hurtful words/phrases. The euphemism "Kick the bucket" generally means to die. By at least 1785 the connection between buckets and death was made when it was defined in Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. One theory for this connection was how people hung themselves on buckets, and kicking the bucket away would cause their death. This meaning clears up in 16th century England, where bucket had an additional meaning, A beam or yoke used to hang or carry items. William Shakespeare uses this word in Henry IV Part II, in 1957 : "Swifter than he that gibbets the brewer's bucket", gibbet meaning to hang. Animals were hung by foot using wooden frames called buckets, they were likely to struggle or spasm after death, thus meaning kick the bucket.
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