join the choir invisible en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From a poem by George Eliot, "O May I Join the Choir Invisible" (1867), further popularized by the "Dead Parrot" sketch (1969) from Monty Python's Flying Circus.
Meanings
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(euphemistic, humorous, intransitive) To die.
This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to see its maker. This is a late parrot. It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-parrot.
1969 December 7, “Full Frontal Nudity”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, season 1, episode 8, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese), Dead Parrot sketch:Made me wonder whether I should invest in a portable MRI unit to monitor birds about to join the choir invisible for any signs of brain activity.
2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 30:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| joining the choir invisible | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| joins the choir invisible | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| joined the choir invisible | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| joined the choir invisible | Tense=Past | lexicographic |