six feet under (ground) (1857)

[David Barnhart]

I've been noodling around in NewspaperArchive.com looking for early
occurrences of the phrase _six feet under_ (meaning "dead").



Most material found is American in origin.  But, .



Did he say anything about wishing himself dead?-Not on that occasion.  On
another occasion he said, "I wish I was six feet under the ground."  "The
Glasgow Poisoning," The Express [London] (NewspaperArchive.com), July 4,
1857, p 3

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org