Last Thursday night at the concert I was talking to Bonnie about her work with the Mongolian people and I asked her how she got to visit that part of China/Asia. She said, "Well, it was on my bucket list." She proceeded to explain about her travels to China. She didn't have to explain to me what the term 'bucket list' meant, and yet I understood the use of language.
The term was used in a movie, by the same name, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. While hositalized they made a list of their top ten goals to accomplish in their remaining lifetime. Their bucket list was the things they wanted to do before they 'kicked the bucket'. It is revealing that a current expression like 'kick the bucket' could be morphed into another derivation and then introduced into the culture by the movie. Cinema viewers adopted the term and it became so familiar in our culture that it effected change in our communication and vocabulary.
The origin for 'kick' can be traced back to the late 14c-to strike out with foot, kick backwards and sink at the knees. In 1725 it was used as slang for dying, 'kick the wind' or 'bucket'. In the 1520's the 'kick' was traced to the recoil of a gun. 'Bucket' was used in the mid 13c with the Anglo Norm. 'buquet'. In 1785 the O. Fr. "buquet' was similar to the term "balance", a beam used for hanging slaughtered animals (resembling suicidal hangings).
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