I sort of forgot that Wikipedia existed; how very 2004 of me.
The OED describes as more plausible the archaic use of "bucket" as a beam from which a pig is hung by its feet prior to being slaughtered. To kick the bucket, then, originally signified the pig's death throes.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.
Marc Ambinder is an Atlantic contributing editor. He is also a senior contributor at Defense One, a contributing editor at GQ, and a regular contributor at The Week.