| This time we are going to look at words related to death. The English language contains numerous euphemisms related to dying and often they are quite colourful! This practice originated with the belief that it was bad luck to speak the word 'death'. |
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FORMAL
1.The priest told the congregation that my uncle had gone to meet his maker and gone to a better place.
2.The race was so exciting, two contestants finished at exactly the same time. It was a dead heat.
3.The negotiations between the two parties are at stalemate. They can't reach any agreement, it is a complete deadlock.
4.The late John Brown means John Brown is dead.
5.When someone is dead we can say they are deceased.
6.Often people prefer to say the euphemism that someone has passed on or passed away.
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| INFORMAL
7.Shakespeare's Hamlet, in his famous speech "To be or not to be", talks of to die as to "shuffle of this mortal coil".
8.Someone who is dead and buried is six feet under and pushing up the daisies.
9.The expression "to kick the bucket"has several theories as to its origin.
10. After several of his enemies had bitten the dust the soldier finally bought the farm himself.
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COLLOQUIAL
11.Some people say dead good or dead interesting instead of very good or very interesting.
12.After a long illness the old man croaked at the age of 106.
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