Are there creative expressions for “passing away soon” or “passing away” in your language and what is the literal translation?
April 14, 2025
For example, in Spanish you can say "irse al otro barrio" meaning moving to another district. Or "Two news broadcasts and his gone"
29 comments
Many:
The following are mostly from my local region in West-Flanders, it feels weird to translate some of them it in proper Dutch, so i write West-Flemish
I’es van de planke. He’s from the plank.
Ie lig me te pwutt’n omwugge : He is lying with his legs up.
Zinne Koakeleire loat’n : Leaving his koakeleire, but I don’t know what a koakeleire actually is.
Ie lig noa de vliegers te kikk’n : He is lying down to watch the airplanes.
Ie bloast z’n latste keise ut : He blows out his last candle.
In German you could say “sie gibt den Löffel ab”, which is literally translated to “she’s giving away the spoon”.
Han har gått till andra sidan , He has gone to the other side.
Tagit ner skylten = removed the sign.
Flyttat till en etta med grästak = Moved to a one room apartment with grass roof
Trillat av pinn = fallen of the twig.
Hälsar på Sofia i Nangijala = Visiting Sofia in Nangijala ( you need to read The Lionheart brothers by Astrid Lindgreen understand this one)
Maskföda = Worm food
Swedes, we have so many, please help!
And what does Kola vippen translate to in English?
Popping your clogs. Turning your toes up. Snuffed it. Shuffled off this mortal coil.
Not all that polite expressions:
– Natáhnout bačkory – To put on the slippers
– Zaklepat bačkorama – To shake the slippers
– Natáhnout brka – To stretch the quills
– Zařvat – To scream
– Kopnąć w kalendarz – kick the calendar
– wąchać kwiatki od spodu – smelling flowers from beneath
– wyciągnąć nogi – stretch legs
I mostly know nice euphemisms so I had to look this one up. Some examples:
– Het hoekje/de bocht omgaan (to go around the corner)
– De pijp uit gaan (to go out of your den, stems from rabbit hunting where if they went out of their den they’d get shot)
– Onder het groene laken liggen (to lie underneath the green sheets)
die Patschen aufstellen
“Bater as botas”, which directly translating means to hit/clack ones boots.
An interesting one is “Dar o peido mestre”. Which means to give the master fart, no doubt in reference to gas release some corpses experience shortly after death.
In French
Passer l’arme à gauche switch your weapon to the left side
Manger les pissenlits par la racine to eat dandelions by the root
Casser sa pipe to break one’s pipe. This one is thought to be from the napoleonic wars. Doctors amputated without anesthesia and gave the patient a clay pipe to bite on. If the pipe fell, patient was dead
αποδημώ εις Κύριον, “migrate to the Lord”.
Finnish:
Heittää lusikka nurkkaan – To throw a spoon in the corner
Puskea koiranputkea – To be pushing up cow parsley
Liittyä ilmavoimiin – To join the Air Force
Liittyä suorasääristen valtakuntaan – To join the kingdom of people with
straight legs
There’s a bunch of them, but two I remember right now
Romanian:
-A plecat în tărâmul celălalt (Left to the other realm)
-A trecut pragul veșniciei (Crosssed the threshold of eternity)
-Și-a găsit liniștea (Found his/her silence)
-S-a îmbrăcat în tăcere (Dressed in silence)
-A trecut în nemurire (Passed to immortality)
To save myself some work, here’s the most famous, immortal comedy [song](https://youtu.be/4b95MCszOxY) that lists a whole bunch of them.
>*patinar* – skate, *bater as botas* – clap boots, *esticar o pernil* – stretch the ham, *conviver com as minhocas* – hang out with the worms, *fechar a pestana* – shut the eyelashes, *fazer para sempre ó-ó* – nap forever, *passar a ser húmus* – become humus, *expirar* – expire, *extinguir* – extinguish, *apagar* – switch off, *cessar* – cease, *fenecer* – pass away, *esvair* – evanesce, *acabar* – end, *definhar* – waist away, *concluir* – conclude, *perecer* – perish, *terminar* – terminate, *descansar* – rest, *sucumbir* – succumb
Beyond these there is also stuff like:
*bater a caçuleta* – knock the (fuse from ancient rifles)
*foi-se* – went
*render a alma (ao Creador)* – return the soul (to the Creator)
*estar nas malvas* – hang out by the mallows
*mudar de paróquia* – switch parishes
*ir desta para melhor* – to go from here towards better
*ir para o jardim das tabuletas* – to go to the garden of signboards
*fazer tijolo* – make bricks
*dar o peido-mestre* – release the ultimate fart
*dar o último suspiro* – release the last sigh
Het loodje leggen -> To lay down the lead
De pijp uitgaan -> To go out of the pipe
Heengaan -> To go (but not come back)
Het tijdelijke met het eeuwige verwisselen -> To exchange the temporary for the permanent
In a local dialect: Uut de tied kom’n.
Coming out of time.
Indossare un cappotto in mogano (to wear a mahogany coat) is the only one I know, but I’m sure there’s more
“De pijp aan Maarten geven” – “giving the pipe to Maarten”. No idea who Maarten is supposed to be.
– passed on
– is no more
– has ceased to be
– has expired
– gone to meet their maker
– is a stiff
– bereft of life, they rest in peace
– pushing up the daisies
– their metabolic processes are now history
– off the twig
– kicked the bucket
– shuffled off this mortal coil
– run down the curtain
– joined the bleeding choir invisible
– all statements to the effect that they are still a going concern are from now on inoperative
– THIS IS AN EX-(whatever)
‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies!
‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig!
‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!!
THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!
Finnish:
Potkaista tyhjää (kick empty(ness?)
Heittää lusikka nurkkaan (throw a spoon in the corner)
Nukkua pois (sleep away)
poistua keskuudesta(mme) (has left our vicinity)
lähteä taivasmatkalle (go on a sky/heaven trip)
My favorite is “he / she went around the corner” / “a dat colțul”.
In catalan we say “anar a pasturar amb les ovelles” (to go graze with the sheep) or “trasspassar” (to phase out)
Мирише на пръст (they smell of soil)
Скоро ще ядем жито ( we’ll be soon eating wheat grains porridge)
Некрологът му се подава от джоба (their obituary note is sticking out from their pocket)
Да ритне камбаната (to kick the bell)
Да гушна босилека/китката (to hug the basil or any bunch of flowers/herbs)
Да се озъбиш (to bare your teeth)
Да хвърля петалата (to toss the horseshoes)
Ще ходим бавно (we’ll be walking slow)
Да облече дървения костюм (to get dressed in a wooden suit)
Ще види цветята откъм корените (they’ll see the flowers from beneath)
There are quite a few in Irish, but the one I like the most is “Tá sí imithe ar shlí na fírinne”, which means “She has gone on the path of the truth”.
Norwegian.
*”På veg ut”* = On (the)way out
*”Tar kvelden snart”* = Taking the evening soon(as in going to sleep).
*”Bite i grasset/gresset”* = (to)Bite the grass
*”Go å grava”* = (to)Go/Walk in the grave
*”Vandre(bort)”* = (to)Wander(away)
*”Utånde”* = Exhale/Breathe out
*”(å)Himle”* = (to look towards) heaven(?), ***Difficult to translate***
29 comments
Many:
The following are mostly from my local region in West-Flanders, it feels weird to translate some of them it in proper Dutch, so i write West-Flemish
I’es van de planke. He’s from the plank.
Ie lig me te pwutt’n omwugge : He is lying with his legs up.
Zinne Koakeleire loat’n : Leaving his koakeleire, but I don’t know what a koakeleire actually is.
Ie lig noa de vliegers te kikk’n : He is lying down to watch the airplanes.
Ie bloast z’n latste keise ut : He blows out his last candle.
In German you could say “sie gibt den Löffel ab”, which is literally translated to “she’s giving away the spoon”.
Han har gått till andra sidan , He has gone to the other side.
Tagit ner skylten = removed the sign.
Flyttat till en etta med grästak = Moved to a one room apartment with grass roof
Trillat av pinn = fallen of the twig.
Hälsar på Sofia i Nangijala = Visiting Sofia in Nangijala ( you need to read The Lionheart brothers by Astrid Lindgreen understand this one)
Maskföda = Worm food
Swedes, we have so many, please help!
And what does Kola vippen translate to in English?
Popping your clogs. Turning your toes up. Snuffed it. Shuffled off this mortal coil.
Not all that polite expressions:
– Natáhnout bačkory – To put on the slippers
– Zaklepat bačkorama – To shake the slippers
– Natáhnout brka – To stretch the quills
– Zařvat – To scream
– Kopnąć w kalendarz – kick the calendar
– wąchać kwiatki od spodu – smelling flowers from beneath
– wyciągnąć nogi – stretch legs
I mostly know nice euphemisms so I had to look this one up. Some examples:
– Het hoekje/de bocht omgaan (to go around the corner)
– De pijp uit gaan (to go out of your den, stems from rabbit hunting where if they went out of their den they’d get shot)
– Onder het groene laken liggen (to lie underneath the green sheets)
die Patschen aufstellen
“Bater as botas”, which directly translating means to hit/clack ones boots.
An interesting one is “Dar o peido mestre”. Which means to give the master fart, no doubt in reference to gas release some corpses experience shortly after death.
In French
Passer l’arme à gauche switch your weapon to the left side
Manger les pissenlits par la racine to eat dandelions by the root
Casser sa pipe to break one’s pipe. This one is thought to be from the napoleonic wars. Doctors amputated without anesthesia and gave the patient a clay pipe to bite on. If the pipe fell, patient was dead
αποδημώ εις Κύριον, “migrate to the Lord”.
Finnish:
Heittää lusikka nurkkaan – To throw a spoon in the corner
Puskea koiranputkea – To be pushing up cow parsley
Liittyä ilmavoimiin – To join the Air Force
Liittyä suorasääristen valtakuntaan – To join the kingdom of people with
straight legs
There’s a bunch of them, but two I remember right now
Fara yfir móðuna miklu – go over the great fog
Fara í sumarlandið – go to the summer land
Finnish: “Heittää veivinsä” = “Throwing away his/her crank”
Romanian:
-A plecat în tărâmul celălalt (Left to the other realm)
-A trecut pragul veșniciei (Crosssed the threshold of eternity)
-Și-a găsit liniștea (Found his/her silence)
-S-a îmbrăcat în tăcere (Dressed in silence)
-A trecut în nemurire (Passed to immortality)
To save myself some work, here’s the most famous, immortal comedy [song](https://youtu.be/4b95MCszOxY) that lists a whole bunch of them.
>*patinar* – skate, *bater as botas* – clap boots, *esticar o pernil* – stretch the ham, *conviver com as minhocas* – hang out with the worms, *fechar a pestana* – shut the eyelashes, *fazer para sempre ó-ó* – nap forever, *passar a ser húmus* – become humus, *expirar* – expire, *extinguir* – extinguish, *apagar* – switch off, *cessar* – cease, *fenecer* – pass away, *esvair* – evanesce, *acabar* – end, *definhar* – waist away, *concluir* – conclude, *perecer* – perish, *terminar* – terminate, *descansar* – rest, *sucumbir* – succumb
Beyond these there is also stuff like:
*bater a caçuleta* – knock the (fuse from ancient rifles)
*foi-se* – went
*render a alma (ao Creador)* – return the soul (to the Creator)
*estar nas malvas* – hang out by the mallows
*mudar de paróquia* – switch parishes
*ir desta para melhor* – to go from here towards better
*ir para o jardim das tabuletas* – to go to the garden of signboards
*fazer tijolo* – make bricks
*dar o peido-mestre* – release the ultimate fart
*dar o último suspiro* – release the last sigh
Het loodje leggen -> To lay down the lead
De pijp uitgaan -> To go out of the pipe
Heengaan -> To go (but not come back)
Het tijdelijke met het eeuwige verwisselen -> To exchange the temporary for the permanent
In a local dialect: Uut de tied kom’n.
Coming out of time.
Indossare un cappotto in mogano (to wear a mahogany coat) is the only one I know, but I’m sure there’s more
“De pijp aan Maarten geven” – “giving the pipe to Maarten”. No idea who Maarten is supposed to be.
– passed on
– is no more
– has ceased to be
– has expired
– gone to meet their maker
– is a stiff
– bereft of life, they rest in peace
– pushing up the daisies
– their metabolic processes are now history
– off the twig
– kicked the bucket
– shuffled off this mortal coil
– run down the curtain
– joined the bleeding choir invisible
– all statements to the effect that they are still a going concern are from now on inoperative
– THIS IS AN EX-(whatever)
‘E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, ‘e rests in peace! If you hadn’t nailed ‘im to the perch ‘e’d be pushing up the daisies!
‘Is metabolic processes are now ‘istory! ‘E’s off the twig!
‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!!
THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!
Finnish:
Potkaista tyhjää (kick empty(ness?)
Heittää lusikka nurkkaan (throw a spoon in the corner)
Nukkua pois (sleep away)
poistua keskuudesta(mme) (has left our vicinity)
lähteä taivasmatkalle (go on a sky/heaven trip)
My favorite is “he / she went around the corner” / “a dat colțul”.
In catalan we say “anar a pasturar amb les ovelles” (to go graze with the sheep) or “trasspassar” (to phase out)
Мирише на пръст (they smell of soil)
Скоро ще ядем жито ( we’ll be soon eating wheat grains porridge)
Некрологът му се подава от джоба (their obituary note is sticking out from their pocket)
Да ритне камбаната (to kick the bell)
Да гушна босилека/китката (to hug the basil or any bunch of flowers/herbs)
Да се озъбиш (to bare your teeth)
Да хвърля петалата (to toss the horseshoes)
Ще ходим бавно (we’ll be walking slow)
Да облече дървения костюм (to get dressed in a wooden suit)
Ще види цветята откъм корените (they’ll see the flowers from beneath)
There are quite a few in Irish, but the one I like the most is “Tá sí imithe ar shlí na fírinne”, which means “She has gone on the path of the truth”.
Norwegian.
*”På veg ut”* = On (the)way out
*”Tar kvelden snart”* = Taking the evening soon(as in going to sleep).
*”Bite i grasset/gresset”* = (to)Bite the grass
*”Go å grava”* = (to)Go/Walk in the grave
*”Vandre(bort)”* = (to)Wander(away)
*”Utånde”* = Exhale/Breathe out
*”(å)Himle”* = (to look towards) heaven(?), ***Difficult to translate***
Latvian: went behind the Sun (aizgāja aizsaulē)