Choose the correct meaning of the phrase: Kick the bucket

Question

Choose the correct meaning of the phrase:

Kick the bucket

1. A. To start a new project
2. B. To delay a decision
3. C. To pass away (Correct answer)
4. D. To kick a bucket

Correct Answer

Option C — To pass away

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is To pass away.

Key Points

• The idiom 'kick the bucket' is an informal expression meaning to die — that is, to pass away.
• So the correct meaning is 'To pass away'.
• Option (D) 'to kick a bucket' is the wrong literal reading, and the others (start a project, delay a decision) are unrelated.
• an idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is figurative and cannot be deduced from the individual words. 'Kick the bucket' has nothing to do with buckets — it simply means to die.

Exam Tip

• the trap option in idiom questions is always the literal interpretation (here 'to kick a bucket'); reject it and pick the figurative meaning.