| Matt Facts: Matthew dislikes drinking cold drinks from coffee mugs. He also hates plastic forks. | | Did you Know? Toothpicks are overrated. | | Words of Inspiration: "You can tell a lot about a fellow by the way he eats Jelly Beans" – R.Regan | | Did you know? There are no Pez Facts. Pez is, in fact, not factual. | | Matt Facts: Matthew's fortune cookies always predict success. | | Words of Inspiration: When I'm sad I stop being sad and be awesome instead - Barney Stinson | | Did you know? "Buf­falo buf­falo Buf­falo buf­falo buf­falo buf­falo Buf­falo buf­falo” is a gram­mat­i­cally valid sentence. | | Matt Facts: Matthew is best served on the rocks with a slice of lemon. | | Words of Inspiration: "Life is futile." | | Did you Know? Dinosaurs and Dandelions is the name of a popular blog that has been around since the 15 April 2010 | | Matt Facts: Unlike some people, Matthew only celebrates his birthday once a year. | | Words of Inspiration: "I'll be back" - The Terminator. | | Did you Know? The two modern breeds of Cocker Spaniel, American and English, are thought to have been descended from only two dogs? | | Matt Facts: On the second to last full moon of the year, Matthew develops an itch on his right shoulder. | | Words of Inspiration: “You can do it!” - Rob Schneider, in every Adam Sandler movie ever | | Did you know? Lettuce is often eaten raw. | | Words of Inspiration: "Science is always at work and never sleeps – just like Rust" | | Did you Know? When you dream, every­thing you see in that dream, you’ve seen before in real life. | | Matt Facts: Matthew officially endorses the Cadbury's Moro bar as being delicious | | Did You Know? A tadpole is also called a 'pollywog'. | | Matt Facts: Matthew has his own Facebook fan page. Creepy. | | Did You Know? Cats sleep for 70% of their lives. | | Words of Inspiration: "End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it." - Gandalf. | | Did you Know? This is the end. The journey ends here. Then it starts all over again. |

Sunday 10 February 2013

Phrase THIS II: Kicking the bucket



Have you ever heard the phrase, “kicked the bucket”? What does it actually mean? Yes, that they died, but how the hell does that make any sense?

Now if you’ve just shouted at the screen an explanation of the phrase, first off – check around the room to make sure no one is looking at you funny. Then, give yourself a brownie point. However, you may not be correct – because, you see, there are three commonly accepted explanations for the humble phrase, and no definitive proof over which is the correct explanation.

Allow me to elaborate;

The first is perhaps the simplest to explain: when hanging someone (a punishment used for crimes such as treason, murder, or stealing an apple) a noose is tied around the neck of the victim while they are standing on a temporary stand such as a bucket. This bucket is then kicked from under them and the victim dies a slow and painful death.

Another proposed explanation is that the phrase relates to the Catholic practice of sprinkling the deceased with holy water. The story goes that when a body is “laid out” for viewing, a bucket of holy water is bought over from the church. Visitors would then use the bucket to sprinkle the body with holy water while praying. Where the kicking part comes from in this explanation is not entirely clear.

A third explanation is probably the most plausible – but only because it is definitely the most complicated to explain. In the middle ages a bucket had alternative uses (Jack and Jill go to fetch a pail of water) and could also refer to a beam or a yoke that you could hang things off. In particular the “bucket” could be the beam that slaughtered pigs are suspended from. These pigs may have struggled on the bucket, leading to the expression. This definition of bucket is thought to have come from the French word trebuchet or burge, which means balance. This definition is still used in Norfolk’s traditional dialect.

The Trebuchet played a vital role in the Siege of Gondor.
So now, when someone uses the phrase “kicked the bucket”, you are armed with enough facts to bore that person to death.
And don’t even get me started on the phrase; “sucked a kumara”!