Do you use any of these?

Why do we say ‘kick the bucket’? Discover 12 idioms with morbid origins

We use a lot of strange phrases without thinking twice, but some have surprisingly grim origins. Ever say someone "kicked the bucket" or "bit the dust"? These everyday expressions sound harmless, but have more somber roots. Take a look at 12 of these idioms. Do you use any of these?

In 13th-century Britain, bakers risked losing a hand if they sold underweight bread, according to the Assize of Bread and Ale under Henry III. To avoid punishment, they often added a little extra to each order.

When selling 12 loaves, bakers would include a 13th—called a "vantage" loaf. This became what is now known as "a baker’s dozen."

Saying you're "as pleased as punch" sounds cheerful, but it has dark roots. The phrase comes from Punch from the Punch and Judy puppet shows, who gleefully committed violent acts.

Popular in 17th-century England, these shows featured Punch killing his family and others with a slapstick, laughing after each act.

The phrase "meet a deadline" might sound stressful today, but its origins are far darker. During the Civil War, the "deadline" referred to a boundary at Andersonville Prison, where Union soldiers were held.

This line, 20 feet inside the outer wall, was meant to prevent escapes. Any prisoner who crossed it was shot by guards in pigeon roosts. The term came from this deadly boundary, where crossing meant certain death.

Today, a "blockbuster" refers to a huge commercial hit, but the term originally described powerful bombs from World War II.

The British Royal Air Force used blockbusters, massive cylinders filled with explosives, capable of destroying entire streets. It wasn’t until 1957, nearly a decade after the war, that the term shifted to describe big entertainment successes.

The phrase "to bulldoze" someone means to force or bully them, but its origins are much harsher. First used in 1876, "bull dose" referred to brutally whipping or beating someone, similar to how a bull might be punished.

By 1880, "bulldoze" became a verb, and eventually, the heavy machinery designed to push through obstacles was named a bulldozer.

The word "sinister" comes from the Latin sinister, meaning "left" or "on the left side." By the 15th century, left-handedness was associated with evil, often linked to witches and the devil.

Because of this stigma, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands. Today, however, we know that being left-handed doesn’t make anyone sinister, and many renowned thinkers, like Leonardo da Vinci and Benjamin Franklin, were left-handed.

The Mad Hatter from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is famous for his colorful personality, but his madness has historical roots. In the 18th and 19th centuries, hat-makers, known as "hatters," often suffered from mercury poisoning due to their work with the chemical.

This poisoning led to mental deterioration, giving rise to the idea of the "mad" hatter, a term that Carroll cleverly incorporated into his character.

Today, "pulling your leg" means joking or fooling around, but it once had a much darker meaning: in 19th-century London, thieves would pull people’s legs to drag them down before stealing their belongings.

This tactic was commonly used by robbers, turning what is now a lighthearted phrase into a serious crime.

In the world of films, we often see characters drinking whiskey before a quick surgery or amputation. But in real battlefields, soldiers didn’t have that option.

One theory about the origin of the expression "to bite the bullet" suggests that, during painful medical procedures, wounded soldiers would literally bite down on a bullet—taken from the ground or from their own weapon—to help endure the agony without crying out.

The phrase "God bless you" after a sneeze has several theories behind it. One theory links it to preventing the plague, while another suggests it’s a way of ensuring the soul stays in the body during a sneeze.

The phrase "kick the bucket" means to die and has been used since the 18th century. One theory connects it to the Catholic tradition of placing a bucket of holy water by the feet of the deceased for mourners to sprinkle.

Another theory suggests the term comes from 16th-century England, where "bucket" referred to a beam. When animals were hanged for slaughter, they would kick the beam as they died, giving rise to the idiom.

The phrase "bite the dust" likely originated in the 19th-century Old West, referring to gunfights and battles. It paints a vivid picture of someone falling to the ground and biting the dust after being struck by a fatal wound.

Over time, the expression broadened, and now it simply signifies someone’s death or defeat, no longer tied specifically to gunfights.

We just know that we know nothing

12 facts that people often get wrong

No one can claim to know everything, but most people go through life confident about certain things. However, some of these widely held beliefs are not actually correct, despite their popularity. Let’s have a look at some "facts" you might have gotten wrong!

The idea that insects—particularly mosquitoes—are not animals is widespread, but it’s also incorrect. In fact, insects are the most diverse group within the Animal kingdom, with more than a million species described and representing more than half of the animal population of the planet.

The mistake comes from not considering that "fruit" is not only a culinary term but also a botanical one. Botanically, a fruit is the part of a plant that develops from a flower and contains seeds. This makes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and many other foods that we call vegetables actually fruits in the scientific sense.

Countries have a political delimitation, while continents are divided according to geographical criteria. The Russian Federation is the largest country on Earth, bordering fourteen other countries and extending across eleven time zones. It spans across a good part of Eastern Europe, but also across the Ural mountains—one of the recognized borders between Europe and Asia—and stretches deep into northern Asia.

While cold weather isn’t harmless, it is not the direct cause of illnesses like the flu, which are caused by viruses. In colder months, people tend to spend more time indoors and often avoid ventilating rooms, creating conditions that make it easier for viruses to spread and cause illness.

Bats might not prefer to be out during bright daylight, but this does not mean that they are blind. In fact, many species have excellent eyesight, though it is adapted to low-light or nighttime conditions. On top of that, bats also use echolocation, which allows them to navigate and hunt with remarkable precision in complete darkness.

The belief that you must wait a full day before reporting someone missing is a myth popularized by movies and TV shows. In reality, the law does not require a waiting period. In fact, law enforcement agencies stress that the first 24 hours are often the most critical, so a missing person should be reported immediately.

Some man-made structures are visible from space without magnification, but despite popular belief, the Great Wall of China is not one of them. While it is quite long, being over 13,000 miles long, it is relatively narrow, and its earthy colors blend in with the surrounding landscape, making it nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye from orbit.

This one is tricky: Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth (29,032 feet)… if you measure the distance from sea level to peak. For the actual tallest mountain, the answer might vary depending on how you measure. Measured from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest at 33,474 feet—though much of it is underwater. Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska rises about 18,000 feet from its base to the peak, making it the tallest mountain entirely above sea level. And Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, while shorter in height, is the farthest point on Earth from the planet’s center due to the equatorial bulge.

The Earth is tilted on an axis, which causes the amount of sunlight each hemisphere receives to change as it orbits the Sun. Because of this tilt, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun and experiences summer, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away and experiences winter—and vice versa. This is why the Southern Hemisphere celebrates Christmas during summer.

Standard medical advice is to gently guide a sleepwalker back to bed rather than waking them, but not because waking them is inherently dangerous. People tend to sleepwalk during deep sleep, so waking them up might startle them or cause confusion and disorientation.

Hair color and thickness are determined by genetics, not by shaving. Hair naturally gets thin at the ends, so when you shave it, the hair shaft appears to be thicker and darker because of the blunt cut. But it's just an optical illusion; the natural size of the shaft remains unchanged.

Coffee is a natural diuretic, meaning it can increase trips to the bathroom. However, the water in brewed coffee still contributes to your hydration and offsets its mild diuretic effect. If you consume coffee in moderation—3 to 5 cups a day, depending on your tolerance—you should be alright. However, drinking extra water on the side is never a bad idea.