Australia has unfortunately picked up the American phrase, passed on, and that has religious connotations, as passed on to a better place, perhaps heaven, maybe hell, but is there anywhere for we who are at times good and at times bad?
In response to someone who uses passed, I will use the word passed, but for me the words are dead or has died. In my personal life, I have not said passed.
Passed sounds gentler, softer, less confronting. But my Ray did not pass. He died suddenly, with some pain as his guts filled with blood from his ruptured aorta. He passed nowhere. He died while unconscious from blood loss. He's gone. Completely dead.
I know I am out of step with society on this one, and if you say passed on, that is fine with me, but in my life, people have just died and they are dead.
My old blog had a about thirty unpublished posts, and this is the only unpublished post I have, written either on July eleventh or November seventh. I can't tell from 11/7/24 with Blogger inconsistent dating system.
Here is a photo for you. It isn't fake. Apparently you were given time for shopping in Vienna along the way. Would you like to take the trip? The fresh fruit in Vienna is rather good, imported from somewhere, along with apple strudel with vanilla sauce (custard).
"Darling, an omnibus to Calcutta? What fun!"
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A bus from London to Calcutta?! That sounds insane.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in newspapers we were taught to avoid all euphemisms for the word "died." A person died, or was dead, and that's the way we had to report it.
"Passed" or "passed on" sound like ways of politely pushing death under the proverbial carpet - making it somehow more polite. "Passed on" where to? Death Valley perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on this one. Died. Or is dead. Passed on or over are euphemisms I don't use.
ReplyDeleteThat is one looooong bus trip.
Andrew, I’m definitely a dead/died person. Marie, Cheltenham
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in the died/dead thing. For me, "Passed" is up there with "reach out" instead of contact. But then I am probably just an old fuddy duddy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that "passed" sounds gentler. I don't use the word dead, but I do say, as in the case most recently with my Dad, that he died.
ReplyDeleteI use whatever is appropriate for the person I'm talking to. For me, it's 'travelled on,' as that is what I believe. Where to, I do not know, but perhaps we all become stardust.
ReplyDeleteThat photo looks so retro
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