“buy the farm”是英语中极具代表性的美式俚语，其字面意为“买下农场”，但实际语义与“购买”毫无关联，而是表达“突然死亡、意外身故、阵亡”的委婉说法，属非正式语域，常见于口语、影视及军事相关语境中。深入理解其词源、语义及用法，是掌握这一短语的关键。该短语的起源与二战时期的美国军事文化密切相关，主要有两种权威说法。其一，源于美国空军飞行员俚语：当时许多飞行员来自农村，退役后“买下农场、安居乐业”是他们的核心梦想，若飞行员在作战中不幸阵亡，便被委婉地称为“提前实现了梦想”。其二，与军人抚恤金制度相关：阵亡军人的家属会获得一笔抚恤金，这笔费用往往足以偿还家中农场的抵押贷款，相当于军人“用生命为家人买下了农场”。此外，早期还有“buy it”（表示“遭遇不幸或死亡”）、“buy a plot”（指“买下墓地”）等变体，后逐渐统一为“buy the farm”并流传至今。如：
When a U.S. soldier was killed in combat, his family was given a death benefit that amounted to enough money to buy a parcel of farm land.
美国士兵在战斗中阵亡后，其家属会获得一笔抚恤金，这笔钱足以买下一块农田。
Your pal Martinez bought the farm. I’m sorry to break it to you.
你的朋友马丁内斯去世了，我很遗憾告诉你这个消息。
Slow down! You don't want to buy the farm too soon!
慢点！你可不想过早丧命！
A lot of Bruce’s friends have like bought the farm from AIDS.（布鲁斯的很多朋友都因艾滋病去世了。
Hendrix and Joplin bought the farm in 1970, Morrison one year later.
亨德里克斯和乔普林于1970年离世，莫里森则在一年后去世。
Stung by the death of two of her assumed loves, she thinks the Arrow bought the farm as well.
接连失去两位心上人让她备受打击，她以为绿箭侠也已离世。
Becky Johnson bought the farm by putting a needle in her arm.
贝基·约翰逊因注射毒品而丧命。
He came home, ate dinner, and then went to bed. It happened in his sleep—he bought the farm.
他回到家，吃了晚饭，然后上床睡觉。事情发生在睡梦中——他去世了。
She couldn’t accept that her fiancé bought the farm in a car crash, and she waited for him every day.
她无法接受未婚夫在车祸中丧生的事实，每天都在等他回来。
I thought you bought the farm. How are you still alive?
我以为你已经死了，你怎么还活着？《绿箭侠》
解析：台词通过“bought the farm”表达对他人“死亡”的误判，贴合恋爱与英雄叙事的双重语境，翻译突出委婉语气。
If that guard catches us, we’ll buy the farm for sure.
要是被那个守卫抓住，我们肯定会死定了。《战地军魂》
解析：体现短语在危险情境中对“死亡”的直白但委婉的表述，翻译符合剧情紧张感。
