buy the farm

The origin of the phrase is not known with certainty, though several hypotheses exist regarding its military and agrarian roots. One popular theory describes combat soldiers who spoke wistfully of returning home to buy a farm and live in peace; upon their death in battle, fellow soldiers would remark that the deceased had finally bought the farm. This follows a established metaphorical pattern of the deceased relocating to a more pleasant, if celestial, geography.

Another theory links the expression to the bureaucratic aftermath of military aviation accidents. It is suggested that when a pilot crashed into a field, the government would compensate the landowner for the resulting damage. A pilot who died in such a manner was thus said to have bought the farm for the owner, providing a final, involuntary settlement for the property.

A more sardonic view originates from the financial difficulties inherent in 19th-century agriculture. This explanation suggests that farms were often so heavily mortgaged that a farmer could not truly finish buying his land until he was dead and his life insurance had cleared the debt. In this version, the farm is finally purchased only when the owner is no longer in a position to occupy it.