{"id":4565,"date":"2022-06-28T17:43:14","date_gmt":"2022-06-28T17:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=4565"},"modified":"2022-06-28T17:43:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-28T17:43:14","slug":"bought-the-farm-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/bought-the-farm-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Bought the Farm \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a way to say someone passed on? If they\u2019re a member of the military or armed forces, you could say the person \u201cbought the farm<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cbought the farm<\/em>\u201d means to die or pass away. Typically, it refers to the death of people in the military or the armed forces. The phrase may apply to people you know or never met.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you bought the farm, you died in a military exercise or battle. The phrase can also refer to law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty.<\/p>\n

You can use the saying to describe the death of civilians, but it\u2019s not the technically correct use of the expression.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cDid you hear about Mike? He bought the farm in service to his country last weekend. He was on a mission with his SEAL team when they got ambushed by the enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt scares me to think how many servicemen and women bought the farm in the Afghanistan war. What a senseless waste of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTom was an operator with the Green Berets and one of the most decorated soldiers in his squadron. He bought the farm last weekend after a training exercise went wrong. What a pity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you see how many soldiers died in service to their country during Vietnam? It was sad to read how many of them bought the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my goodness. John just bought the farm during his patrol this evening. Some junkie pulled a knife on him and stabbed him to death. Tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim bought the farm over the weekend. He was on the firing range when his service pistol malfunctioned. The squib load caused the gun to fragment. A part of the pistol lodged in his brain, killing him instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The expression \"bought the farm\" originates from the mid-20th century. The earliest recordings of the saying all have a military reference. The earliest rendition of the phrase in print comes from The New York Times Magazine in March 1954.<\/p>\n

The magazine published an article referencing a glossary of pilot slang, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"Bought a plot, had a fatal crash.\"<\/p>\n

The 1940s saw the saying change form. Cyril Ward-Jackson used the phrase \"He's bought it, he is dead - that is, he has paid with his life\" in 1943 to describe the passing of an air serviceman.<\/p>\n

The first recorded use of the modern saying \"bought the farm\" appeared in the mid-1950s. The earliest use of the exact phrase appears in 1963, in \"Exile to the Stars,\" written by Ed Miller, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"The police dispatcher says a plane just bought the farm.\"<\/p>\n