Dictionary

shuffle off this mortal coil en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From Hamlet by William Shakespeare, see mortal coil.

Meanings

1. (euphemistic, idiomatic) To die; to divest oneself of one's mortal body.
   • “I would like to understand before I croak. I would like to understand, and then I’m perfectly fine to shuffle off my mortal coil.” 2026, Sebastian Mallaby, “Introduction”, in The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and the Quest for Superintelligence, Penguin, →ISBN:
   • For in that ſleepe of death, what dreames may come, / When we haue ſhuffel'd off this mortall coile, / Muſt giue vs pawſe. c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 265, column 2:
   • Handsome, with a Freud-like beard and piercing eyes, it was also said that he had perfected the death stare. Whenever he required the skeleton of some exotic beast to compare with his fossil bones, he would visit Basel Zoo and stare at the appropriate animal, which would soon thereafter shuffle off its mortal coil. 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 81:
   • But when you and I shuffle off this mortal coil, formal remembrances won’t be the only way we are remembered. 2011 April 19, Sumit Paul-Choudhury, “Digital legacy: The fate of your online soul”, in NewScientist:

Forms

Synonyms

meet one's maker · sink · go the way of all flesh · cark it · close one's eyes for the last time · snuff it · knock off · push up daisies · expire · pass in one's checks · pass away · cash in · go west · assume room temperature · bite the dust · go the way of the dodo bird · kick off · go for a burton · pay the debt of nature · hand in one's dinner pail · hop the twig · disincarnate · meet one's doom · forfare · peg out · liquidate · be called home · bite the big one · go over to the majority · bite the biscuit · pass · decompose · check out · lose the number of one's mess · give up the ghost · buy the farm · be with the Lord · cross the Great Divide · turn up one's toes · code · buy it · give one's all · go the way of the dodo · pop one's clogs · cross the Styx · join the choir invisible · be with Jesus · exit · be gathered to one's fathers · auger in · drop off the hooks · perish · shuffle off this mortal coil · go the way of the dinosaurs · draw one's last breath · pass over · pay nature's debt · croak · pop off · conk out · take a dirt nap · keel over · cash in one's chips · pass the river · flatline · slip away · cross over · be like the the One · be no more · yield up the ghost · sleep with one's fathers · depart · darken · decease · dematerialize · succumb · pass in one's marble · go to one's reward · go out · kick the bucket · pass on · hand in one's checks · go to glory · meet one's end · fall off the twig

Translations (1)

es irse al otro barrio (Translations)