{"id":3488,"date":"2022-06-29T16:58:17","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T16:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3488"},"modified":"2022-06-29T16:58:17","modified_gmt":"2022-06-29T16:58:17","slug":"dead-as-a-doornail-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/dead-as-a-doornail-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Dead as a Doornail \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Are you looking for a way to tell someone that something is dead and has been for a while? If so, you could use the phrase, \u201c<em>dead as a doornail<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n<h2>Meaning<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The expression \u201c<em>dead as a doornail<\/em>\u201d means to be devoid of life entirely. It\u2019s a way to describe an animal or person that has been dead for some time or endures a sudden and horrific death where there is no chance of survival.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When someone dies, the body goes through \u201c<em>rigor mortis<\/em>,\u201d where they start to stiffen. After a few hours, the person will be as stiff as a plank. As a result, you could say that they are \u201c<em>dead as a doornail,\u201d <\/em>comparing their rigid state to an inflexible nail.<\/p>\n<h2>Example Usage<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe found this guy sleeping on the grate this morning, but he was as dead as a doornail, so we called the police.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis contract is finished. It\u2019s as dead as a doornail. We cannot live up to these commitments, and they know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe old school system is as dead as a doornail. Today kids don\u2019t learn about science and math. They learn how not to be offensive to other people on Twitter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fish is as dead as a doornail. I got a great shot on him when he turned broadside to me, and I stoned him straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy car is as dead as a doornail. I got into her this morning and turned the key, and nothing, not even a click.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe garden is looking as dead as a doornail. It hasn\u2019t rained in months, and we\u2019re rationing local water supplies. The grass needs a drink, but we can\u2019t give it any water.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3489\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Dead-as-a-Doornail.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"93\" height=\"77\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-3490\" src=\"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Dead-as-a-Doornail2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"162\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Origin<\/h2>\n<p>The expression \"dead as a doornail\" originates from the 14th century. The earliest record of the saying in print comes from William Langland's translation of the French poem \"Guillaume de Palerne\" in 1350.<\/p>\n<p>\"For but ich haue bote of mi bale I am ded as dorenayl.\"<\/p>\n<p>By the 16th century, the phrase was already widespread in use across England. Shakespeare used the expression in his 1592 play, \"King Henry VI, Part 2,\" where the rebel leader, Jack Cade, says the following.<\/p>\n<p>\"Look on me well: I have eat no meat these five days; yet, come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail, I pray God I may never eat grass more.\"<\/p>\n<p>Legendary author Charles Dickens also used the expression in his work \"A Christmas Carol,\" where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n<p>\"Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.\"<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"What does \u201cas dead as a doornail\u201d mean? \u2013 English Language Questions and Answers\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ji1fkGXIhrs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Phrases Similar to Dead as a Doornail<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Pushing up daisies.<\/li>\n<li>Dead as a mutton.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Phrases Opposite to Dead as a Doornail<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Alive and well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Dead as a doornail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Ways People May Say Dead as a Doornail Incorrectly<\/h2>\n<p>The phrase has nothing to do with doornails. A doornail is a stiff, rigid piece of steel. When people pass away, the body starts to stiffen in a process known as \"rigor mortis.\" So, if something is as dead as a doornail, it's been dead for a while, and there is no chance of survival or recovery.<\/p>\n<h2>Acceptable Ways to Phrase Dead as a Doornail<\/h2>\n<p>You can use the expression \"dead as a doornail\" when you're trying to tell someone that something is dead and has no chance of survival or recovery. Typically, the being has been dead for a while and is in the process of rigor mortis, making them stiff.<\/p>\n<p>The phrase suits use with people and objects. For instance, you could say you found the kid's pet rabbit dead as a doornail when you went out into the garden this morning. Or you could say the contract from the client was as dead as a doornail on its arrival due to problems with the terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-2\">Are you looking for a way to tell someone that something is dead and has been for a while? If so, you could use the phrase, \u201cdead as a doornail.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression. Meaning The expression \u201cdead as a doornail\u201d means to be devoid of life entirely. It\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3488"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3488"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5095,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3488\/revisions\/5095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}