Confused while reading Stephen King's Pet Sematary: "It just went feet up one day"

Question

But if it’s all the time crossing back and forth, its luck will run out, and it’ll end up there with the Ryder kids’ coon and little Timmy Dessler’s cocker spaniel and Missus Bradleigh’s parakeet. Not that the parakeet got run over in the road, you understand. It just went feet up one day.

Really confused what did he mean? His feet were blowed?

Picture a parakeet laying on the bottom of the cage with its feet sticking up in the air. — Hot Licks, Feb 15 '18 at 23:04
Have you heard of the expression: “he turned up his toes”? It is a roundabout way of saying: “he died”. Probably it comes from the traditional way in which the dead are laid out: face up, an so toes up. — Tuffy, Feb 15 '18 at 23:32
In computerdom, back in the days of blinking monsters on hollow floors, the term "casters up" meant the computer had died. — Hot Licks, Feb 16 '18 at 00:39
@HotLicks See https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/105/what-is-the-difference-between-lay-and-lie — Kate Bunting, Feb 17 '18 at 09:26
@KateBunting - You're implying that the bird was there of its own volition. — Hot Licks, Feb 17 '18 at 13:05
@HotLicks This is getting silly. The bird would be lying dead, unless we picture someone laying it out on the cage floor. — Kate Bunting, Feb 17 '18 at 16:36

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Feb 15 '18 at 23:03

1

"Feet up" - for bird, would mean it was dead.

When a bird dies, we often think it lies on its back with its feet up in air...Especially if it dies of natural causes...

answered Feb 15 '18 at 23:03

Grantly

384

Works for people too (though usually lying on ones back means sleeping :o)). – Will Crawford Feb 16 '18 at 01:38

Confused while reading Stephen King's Pet Sematary: "It just went feet up one day"

1 Answers1