Pass Away (idiom)
2017.01.04
Meaning:
Most people don’t like to talk about death or dying. So we often use expressions to soften the meaning. ‘Pass away’ means ‘die’, but it is softer. We also sometimes say ‘pass on’ or even just ‘pass’. These words suggest life haven’t really ended; they suggest the person has just gone to a different place (eg heaven).
Example:
A: Ugh - 2016. So many famous people passed away last year. Every time I turned on the television I heard about another famous person passing.
B: Yes. David Bowie, Muhammed Ali, Fidel Castro, George Michael…
A: And Carrie Fisher! I can’t believe Princess Leia from Star Wars has gone.
B: And her mother, Debbie Reynolds, passed on just 2 days after she did.
A: So sad.
Talking Point(s):
Does Japanese have similar idioms to talk about death?