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dead as a doorknob

adj

Etymology

Possibly from a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the expression dead as a doornail. See usage notes below.

Definitions

  1. Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead.

    • I tried the flashlight, but the battery was as dead as a doorknob.
    • I found the mouse who lived in our wall, lying on his back with his feet in the air—as dead as a doorknob.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for dead as a doorknob. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA