'Passed away' sounds much more peaceful and tasteful. 'Oh, I heard your Nan passed away' sounds a lot more respectful than 'Oh, I heard your Nan's dead'.
It's another Americanism isn't it? The correct use of the euphemism is 'passed away', but it's been trivialised / Americanised / abbreviated to 'passed'. Awful term.
That's the sort of stuff I don't like, they are presuming that the person they are talking too believes in all of that stuff. Why would anyone find it difficult to just say that someone had died?
When someone's loved relative has just died, it's not about what you like. When my fiance died, quite frankly the last thing I cared about was how our friends and neighbours would react to the words I used. As a Pagan, I do believe in some of 'that stuff' and don't care whether the people I'm talking to believe it or not.
Bereaved people have more on their mind than working out how to phrase the news.
It's a euphemism - personally, I don't like it and prefer to simply say dead - I understand that some people don't feel comfortable with that.
I particularly dislike seeing 'gone to sleep' used. I'd hate to go to their house and have a bit of a snooze - who knows what might happen.
'Passed away' sounds much more peaceful and tasteful. 'Oh, I heard your Nan passed away' sounds a lot more respectful than 'Oh, I heard your Nan's dead'.
Well yeah, because who would say the latter? You'd say 'I heard your Nan has died'.
The same obvious reason anybody uses any euphemism.. ?
Exactly. It's just a more "kind" way of saying someone's died without being blunt about it and, as has been mentioned, it was more common during the days when religion paid a more prominent part of daily life.
It's a euphemism - personally, I don't like it and prefer to simply say dead - I understand that some people don't feel comfortable with that.
I particularly dislike seeing 'gone to sleep' used. I'd hate to go to their house and have a bit of a snooze - who knows what might happen.
You sometimes see 'fell asleep' on gravestones. It always makes me think they'll have a bit of a shock when they wake up.
I dislike both 'passed away' and 'passed', the latter more so. They both seem mealy-mouthed and meaningless, especially if you really don't think they have gone anywhere.
'Passed away' sounds much more peaceful and tasteful. 'Oh, I heard your Nan passed away' sounds a lot more respectful than 'Oh, I heard your Nan's dead'.
^^^^^^^^^ This.
It's a more polite way of saying dead.
My husband always uses the words, "passed on", but I hate that. Passed on to where? Passed away is much nicer and a less brutal way of saying "dead".
So mumbo jumbo then? I don't believe in any afterlife and much prefer polite, straight talk.
In my opinion people who say passed, or passed away should be less timid & embarrassed when confronting the bereaved. We all die eventually.
Its not mumbo jumbo its just one of them things that have been said for years when i think more people belived in the after life. Most people i have ever met know what passed away means, because you dont belive in the after life that is your choice, same as i dont belive in it but still use the term passed away
My dad didn't "pass away" from cancer. He most definitely died from it. There was nothing peaceful and gentle about the way he died. It was drawn out, painful and horrific.
I can't stand "passed away" and other euphemisms. The person died. They're dead. It happens to all of us in the end.
My dad didn't "pass away" from cancer. He most definitely died from it. There was nothing peaceful and gentle about the way he died. It was drawn out, painful and horrific.
I can't stand "passed away" and other euphemisms. The person died. They're dead. It happens to all of us in the end.
Indeed. And not many deaths are actually peaceful and just "passing away" - death is brutal and we're all going to face it so if people can't even say the word dead then they are in for a shock when they are facing it.
Why do they always say it was quiet and peaceful? I witnessed an elderly woman a few beds down from my Nan die in her sleep, well it started in her sleep and ended in the most intense rasping, clawing at the air and begging not to die. My Nan said later that they told the family she went peacefully in her sleep.
When some old lady my mum knew died we went to the home, mum was asked if she wanted to see her body, me being curious/nosy said yes we did. Christ almighty, I so wish I hadnt. Looking at her there was NOTHING peaceful about the way she passed. That image is now stuck in my head forever
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'Oh, I heard your Nan passed away' sounds a lot more respectful than 'Oh, I heard your Nan's dead'.
When someone's loved relative has just died, it's not about what you like. When my fiance died, quite frankly the last thing I cared about was how our friends and neighbours would react to the words I used. As a Pagan, I do believe in some of 'that stuff' and don't care whether the people I'm talking to believe it or not.
Bereaved people have more on their mind than working out how to phrase the news.
I particularly dislike seeing 'gone to sleep' used. I'd hate to go to their house and have a bit of a snooze - who knows what might happen.
I think 'passed' is just the short version of 'passed away'.
I do not like 'passed' much.
My grandmother, however, used to talk of the day she lost her youngest child, and for years I didn't realise the child had died.
Yes, but they're both pretty old @ 86 and realistically don't have very long left until they die. Why do you ask?
It's like "make love" - just say sex/shag
It means the person has passed over into the afterlife.
So mumbo jumbo then? I don't believe in any afterlife and much prefer polite, straight talk.
In my opinion people who say passed, or passed away should be less timid & embarrassed when confronting the bereaved. We all die eventually.
Exactly. It's just a more "kind" way of saying someone's died without being blunt about it and, as has been mentioned, it was more common during the days when religion paid a more prominent part of daily life.
You sometimes see 'fell asleep' on gravestones. It always makes me think they'll have a bit of a shock when they wake up.
I dislike both 'passed away' and 'passed', the latter more so. They both seem mealy-mouthed and meaningless, especially if you really don't think they have gone anywhere.
^^^^^^^^^ This.
It's a more polite way of saying dead.
My husband always uses the words, "passed on", but I hate that. Passed on to where? Passed away is much nicer and a less brutal way of saying "dead".
Its not mumbo jumbo its just one of them things that have been said for years when i think more people belived in the after life. Most people i have ever met know what passed away means, because you dont belive in the after life that is your choice, same as i dont belive in it but still use the term passed away
Hello Paulie, sorry to hear that your loved one is dead.
Your choice but too blunt for my liking.
Call it what you like, they're still dead
I can't stand "passed away" and other euphemisms. The person died. They're dead. It happens to all of us in the end.
Indeed. And not many deaths are actually peaceful and just "passing away" - death is brutal and we're all going to face it so if people can't even say the word dead then they are in for a shock when they are facing it.
When some old lady my mum knew died we went to the home, mum was asked if she wanted to see her body, me being curious/nosy said yes we did. Christ almighty, I so wish I hadnt. Looking at her there was NOTHING peaceful about the way she passed. That image is now stuck in my head forever
..popped their clogs is weird though..wtf does that even mean..how does one pop a clog ?
It means you've sold the deceased's shoes as far as I recall. From the days of clogs on cobbles..you could hardly hear yourself coughing-up blood.
I can remember when pants WERE pants. You wore them for forty years and then cut them up for pan scrubs.
Someone's been watching Victoria Wood...