push up daisies

English

Alternative forms

• push daisies, push up the daisies

Etymology

In allusion to the daisy flowers growing over a dead person's grave. Originated in World War I.

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

push up daisies (third-person singular simple present pushes up daisies, present participle pushing up daisies, simple past and past participle pushed up daisies)

1. (idiomatic, euphemistic or humorous) To be dead.

Derived terms

• pushing up daisies (adjective)

Translations

idiomatic: to be dead

• Finnish: kasvaa koiranputkea
• French: manger les pissenlits par la racine (fr), bouffer les pissenlits par la racine (fr)
• German: die Radieschen von unten ansehen (de)
• Greek: βλέπω τα ραδίκια ανάποδα (el) (vlépo ta radíkia anápoda)
• Hungarian: alulról szagolja az ibolyát (hu)
• Polish: wąchać kwiatki od spodu (pl) impf
• Spanish: criar malvas (es)

See also

• turn up one's toes to the daisies

Further reading

• “push up daisies” in Idioms and phrases, TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.