Idiom idiom
shuffle off this mortal coil
Meaning
To die; to divest oneself of one's mortal body.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“He feared he would shuffle off this mortal coil alone.”
“The old king knew he would soon shuffle off this mortal coil, so he called his children to his bedside.”
“In the dim candlelight of the tower, the weary knight whispered that he was ready to shuffle off this mortal coil and join his fallen brothers in whatever peace awaited beyond.”
Origin
From Hamlet by William Shakespeare, see mortal coil.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026