English Reference
Idiom idiom

push up daisies


To be dead.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The old car will be pushing up daisies soon.

CONTEXTUAL

The criminal bragged that his enemies would be pushing up daisies before the week ended.

COMPLEX

He realized that after a century of conflict, both the victors and the vanquished were long since pushing up daisies.


In allusion to the daisy flowers growing over a dead person's grave. Originated in World War I.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    jump before one is pushed

    to perform an action before being forced to do so.

  2. 02

    push against an open door

    To do something pointless or unnecessary; to try doing something already done.

  3. 03

    push in

    To jump the queue, especially in a forceful manner.

  4. 04

    push it

    To make an extraordinary or risky effort; to behave in a way which tests the limits; to take chances; to expect too much.

  5. 05

    push on

    To persist, persevere.

  6. 06

    push one's luck

    To take an excessive risk or to attempt some task unlikely to succeed, especially after having already been unexpectedly lucky.

  7. 07

    push one's way

    to make one's way by pushing.

  8. 08

    push the boat out

    To do something, especially spend money, more extravagantly than usual, particularly for a celebration.

Last updated August 10, 2026