passed away

Casual acquaintance, "I hear you buried your wife last week, colonel."
Colonel, "Had to. Dead you know."

Kick the bucket
Push up daisies
Brown bread (cockney rhyming slang)
Bite the dust
Meet one's maker
Turn up one's toes
Six feet under

Just a few that I can think of, and I'm sure there are hundreds.

Gone to the great (insert as appropriate) in the sky.

Gone to glory (from the sally army)
Dropped off the tree
Popped his clogs
cashed in his chips

there must be loads more, other than 'passing'.

Maybe you could "buy the farm" with the inheritance?
There were also the various euphemisms in wartime.
"Bought it", springs to mind, but I suspect that was more to do with morale than sensitivities.

Has anyone else come across the American expression "bought the farm"? Now that did take some working out.

Sorry always forgetting its * not [ for bold names!!

Strange that [Hermia46] has made no further comment after opening the thread....or did I miss it?

I had a neighbour who would say that she had 'lost' someone. My initial thought was to say: how careless.

My three year old granddaughter's much loved Gran died recently. She sat on my knee while my daughter in law explained to her that Gran had died and she would not see her again. The wee one accepted this and when she now says' My Gran died ' she usually has a memory to share of things they did together. We didn't really think about it as a family but I can see how it could confuse a child if expressions like 'passing over' or 'falling asleep' are used.

Worrying thought Elegran . Definitely not for this thread though. Perhaps it should be left to -Rest in Peace!

That would make an interesting new thread, Jane. You might get all kinds of graphics sent as suggestions.

Excellent thatbags. You may be interested to hear that we used to programme in these so called bad words to touchtalkers that people who were unable to speak could use. They were very popular. Our main problem was what icon to use on the touchpad for non readers!

As for getting anything 'past', my careful qualifying remarks and the conditional "if" are, of course, deliberately used to sanitise that particular usage, to make it clear that I am talking about a word and its usage, not abusing anyone.

I don't use it myself very often either, just on the rare hammer-dropping occasion!

Jane10 the words 'fuck' and 'fucking' have been used many times on here in the past. As thatbags says, as long as you're not telling someone to 'fuck off' there's no reason to get all het up about it (not you, of course!).

I feel the same about 'bad' words, jane10. I rarely use 'swearing' expressions but their existence and their use by others is intriguing, as you say.

I doubt the cubs did that, indinana. Never had any complaints from parents anyhow, about anything at all, and the cubs kept coming.

Good luck getting that one past thatbags! Re that word (I'll refrain from using it here) its just a word , a sound, marks on paper, why do we consider it so bad? If it helps people express themselves to vent emotion then its much better than hitting someone or some other form of physical violence. I've always been intrigued at there being 'bad words'.

I agree with you thatbags, but I can't help wondering what the parents thought, when 8 year old Johnny went home and told them that Akela said it was OK to use the word 'fuck'.

I used to tell the cubs, when I found them swearing at each other, that it was okay to say fuck if you drop a hammer on your toe, but it's not okay to rudely tell someone to fuck off. Eight year olds understand that concept, the huge difference between the two uses.

I've always thought it was swearing. I just don't automatically think that swearing matters. I don't and didn't think it mattered in this instance since it was 'aimed' at an idea, not people, and, as jane10 said, it's often used in just such situations where someone else might use "what on earth". No-one has to use it if they don't want to and anyone who wants to be offended about its use can be. Maximum freedom all round. Gotta be good.

Now, if were to tell you fuck off this thread, which I would never do, that would be rude swearing. I'm sure you see the difference

Its an abbreviation in common usage although clearly not in your vicinity gracesgran Its most usually used in txt type communication/Facebook/Twitter etc. Another one is "whatever".
Laters
Jane

I see you now agree that these three initials do indicate swearing now thatbags so you have moved a little.

I have never said that the poster only swore at me. She was obviously swearing at all those who had expressed an opinion and very definitely included me by quoting from my post.

So, we now have someone swearing, you agree, aimed at a group of people who have offered an opinion they were asked for. Swearing I would add, using a word the vast majority of the population would avoid using with some one they didn't know and many would never use. Or has this word become so commonplace that you do not care if it is used and used in an aggressive way?

Just throwing it in there is no excuse. The poster asked me why I felt she was being aggressive and I explained that it was the swearing. If I brushed my trolley past someone I did not know in a supermarket and they turned and said these three words I would be anticipating their next remarks to be aggressive too. They could turn round and say "sorry, I've been having a bad day" but I would not be expecting that. This is why I "heard" the posters subsequent remarks as aggressive. You may not be in the least affected by such things; it may be common parlance all around you as may be aggression in general but, as I have said, not in my world.

If I am being pedantic I am a least doing it in the right place. I am not indignant, self-righteous or otherwise. I may be the last granny in the world defending my right not to be spoken to like this but I will continue to defend it and to defend my right to that opinion.

Wow! Just back after a lovely week in Montenegro and the first post I read has developed from an innocent enquiry about terminology for ceasing to live into accusations of bullying! Personally I can't see where the bullying comes in, but hey ho - each to their own......