 To kick the bucket means to die, and it is sometimes said to originate from the theory that when people hang themselves, they stand on a bucket with a noose around their neck and then kick the bucket away. However, a more likely explanation comes from the slaughtering of animals. In the 18th century, the wooden beam that was used to hang animals up by their feet for slaughter was called a bucket. As the animals were killed, they would often struggle and spasm, their feet kicking the bucket.