Go west
Meaning
To die or cease to exist, often with a sense of finality and disappearance.
Origin
While the direction west has long been symbolically tied to the setting sun and the end of life in various cultures, the phrase 'go west' gained its most potent and widespread association with death during the First World War. For soldiers fighting on the Western Front in France and Belgium, the phrase became a grim euphemism for being killed in action. Facing constant peril and massive casualties, comrades would say a fallen soldier had 'gone west,' a stark, unadorned way to acknowledge their final journey, both towards the geographical west of the battlefield and into the metaphorical sunset of existence. This poignant military slang quickly entered the broader lexicon, forever linking the phrase with a terminal end.
Examples
- The old dog, after a long and happy life, finally went west peacefully in his sleep.
- During the battle, many brave soldiers went west defending their comrades.