Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I think it’s because of my age. Everybody thinks I’m gonna keel over in a year or two.”
Alan Arkin explaining why he thinks he won the Oscar for his role in Little Miss Sunshine.
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
die suddenly; drop dead; collapse
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Alan Arkin is old but he’s not that old. When he won the Oscar a few weeks ago, he joked that it was only because people think he’s going to die soon. That’s why he says people think he’s going to keel over in the next couple of years.
This expression is used in a casual environment and is sometimes meant to be funny. It is not appropriate for all situations. If you are in doubt, it is best to say someone died or passed away. Use keeled over only in casual, familiar or humorous situations.
This expression is also used as exaggeration or sarcasm. For example, if you are telling your friends a funny story about being sick, you could say you were about to keel over.
If you are talking casually about someone who has died, someone that neither you nor your friends knew personally, you could say, “Did you hear about the guy who died at the grocery store? He just keeled over in the produce section.”
However, if you are expressing condolences to a friend or family member who is grieving a recent death, you should NOT use this expression. You could say, “I’m so sorry your father has died” or “He has passed away but he is still with us in spirit.” You would NOT say, “Hey, I heard your dad keeled over. I’m so sorry.” This would be offensive.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I’m so sick I feel like I could keel over any minute.”
“One minute he was laughing and joking, and the next minute he just keeled over. They said it was a heart attack.”
“When I keel over I want to be cremated and have my ashes tossed into the Pacific Ocean.”