Origin of "Kick the Bucket"

Many people think that this euphemism for dying comes from the last action of someone about to hang themselves, kicking away the bucket on which the person is standing. But in this case, the bucket which is referred to is a different bucket. In the 16th century, the beam in a slaughterhouse that used to hang animal carcasses was called a bucket. The freshly slaughtered animals, with their spasms used to kick the bucket on which they were hanging, so to die became "To kick the bucket".