Buy the farm

[0639] Push up daisies

🎲 Meet one's maker
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • An informal and often humorous or macabre idiom meaning to be dead and buried.

Origin

  • Refers graphically to the idea that a decomposing body in a grave provides nutrients for the plants growing above it, such as daisies (common wildflowers often found in cemeteries or fields).
  • The image is of the dead person metaphorically 'pushing' the daisies upwards from below ground. The phrase dates back to at least the early 19th century, possibly earlier in related forms.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Dead and buried
  • Six feet under (informal)
  • Food for worms (informal, macabre)
  • Kicking the bucket / Biting the dust / Buying the farm (informal idioms for dying, don't specifically imply burial)
  • Gone to meet one's maker (euphemistic)
  • Taking a dirt nap (slang)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal (Similar meaning/tone):

  • Six feet under
  • Food for worms / Worm food
  • Taking a dirt nap

Vulgar/Emphatic:

  • Dead as a doornail (emphasizes certainty of death)

Milder/Euphemistic (referring to burial):

  • Laid to rest
  • Interred
  • Resting in peace

Milder/Euphemistic (referring to death):

  • Passed away / Deceased

Situational Appropriateness

  • Highly informal. Best suited for humorous, macabre, or fictional contexts, or when speaking very informally about someone long deceased.
  • Completely inappropriate for recent deaths, funerals, or situations requiring sensitivity and respect. Can sound very callous.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • The imagery is strong, so the literal meaning (being buried) is usually understood, but the informal and humorous/macabre tone might be missed by non-native speakers.
  • Using it inappropriately in a sensitive context is the main risk.

Examples

  • He annoyed the wrong gangster, and now he's pushing up daisies.
  • If I don't get this parachute open, I'll be pushing up daisies!
  • Grandpa's been pushing up daisies for nearly thirty years now. (Matter-of-fact, less sensitive due to time passed)

Dialogue

Context

(Humorous/Threatening)

Character 1: You double-cross me, and you'll be pushing up daisies by sunrise!

Character 2: (Nervously) Okay, okay! I wouldn't dream of it!

(Matter-of-fact)

Person A: Do you ever visit your great-uncle's grave?

Person B: Not really. He's been pushing up daisies since before I was born.

Social Media Examples

  • Often used figuratively or humorously.
  • Post: My poor succulent is officially pushing up daisies. I swear I'm cursed when it comes to plants! #PlantKiller #BlackThumb #RIP
  • Humorous Tweet: If I have to sit through one more boring meeting today, I might just start pushing up daisies right here at my desk. 😴
  • Comment in a discussion about historical figures: Yeah, he's been pushing up daisies for centuries.

Response Patterns

  • If humorous: Laughter, playing along with the dark humor.
  • If threatening: Alarm, nervousness, dismissal.
  • If matter-of-fact: Simple acknowledgement (Right, Okay), perhaps slight discomfort.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

  • Depends heavily on the context (joke, threat, statement of fact).
  • Could lead to related jokes, changing the subject, or discussing the circumstances of the death if appropriate.

Conversation Starter

  • No. Refers to the state of being dead and buried.

Intonation

  • Often humorous, slightly dark, or matter-of-fact about someone long dead. Can be used as a threat.
  • Stress falls on pushing and daisies. Pushing up daisies.

Generation Differences

  • A well-known idiom across generations. May sound slightly old-fashioned but is still understood and used, often for its darkly humorous effect.

Regional Variations

  • Common and understood in most major English-speaking regions.
Buy the farm
🎲 Meet one's maker