Dead as a doornail is a phrase which means not alive, unequivocally deceased. The term goes back to the 1300s, the phrase dead as a doornail is found in poems of the time. It is thought that the phrase dead as a doornail comes from the manner of securing doornails that were hammered into a door by clenching them..
Simply so, why do people say deader than a doornail?
Almost certainly the euphony has caused the phrase to survive longer than the alternatives I've quoted. The usual reason given is that a doornail was one of the heavy studded nails on the outside of a medieval door, or possibly that the phrase refers to the particularly big one on which the knocker rested.
Also, where did what the dickens come from? This phrase has nothing to do with Charles Dickens. Dickens is a euphemism, specifically a minced-oath, for the word devil, possibly via devilkins. Shakespeare used it in 'the Merry Wives of Windsor, 1600: I cannot tell what the dickens his name is my husband had him of.
Hereof, is it dead as a doornail or doorknob?
(simile) 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.
What does dumber than a doornail mean?
dumber than a door-nail. Rate this phrase:(5.00 / 1 vote) Someone who is just stupid, and doesn't even know what doornail means anyway so isn't really insulted by the term anyway. In my youth, it was common to hear references to individuals as to their supposed or proclaimed mental or emotional deficiencies.
Related Question Answers
What does in a pickle mean?
If you are in a pickle, you are in a difficult position, or have a problem to which no easy answer can be found. The word 'pickle' comes from the Dutch word 'pekel', meaning 'something piquant', and originally referred to a spiced, salted vinegar that was used as a preservative.Why is it called hooky?
Origin: A few theories of origin: a) This Americanism meaning to skip school most likely comes from the Dutch hoekje, a name for the game of hide and seek (first recorded in late-1840s). However, it is sometimes suggested that the phrase may come from the phrasal verb “to hook it” meaning to run away or clear out.Where does happy as a clam come from?
What's the origin of the phrase 'As happy as a clam'? The derivation is more likely to come from the fuller version of the phrase, now rarely heard - 'as happy as a clam at high water'. Hide tide is when clams are free from the attentions of predators; surely the happiest of times in the bivalve mollusc world.What does Bah Humbug mean?
Bah humbug is an exclamation that conveys curmudgeonly displeasure. The phrase is most famously used by Ebenezer Scrooge, the main, curmudgeonly character in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol (1843).What does fell swoop mean?
One fell swoop. To do something in one fell swoop is to do it suddenly or in a single, swift action. Fell here is an adjective meaning fierce, savage, cruel, or ruthless. 1 This sense of fell is otherwise archaic, preserved mainly in this idiom.What does the idiom elbow room mean?
elbow room. 1. If someone gives you elbow room, they give you the freedom to do what you want to do in a particular situation. If you have enough elbow room, you have enough space to move freely or feel comfortable, without feeling crowded.What is a sentence of dead as a doornail?
Example Sentences The idea to start an online business is dead as a doornail now. My expensive laptop was dead as a doornail but it is working properly now. Nobody is going to elect Harry now. His rule is over, dead as a doornail.What does the idiom as dead as a dodo mean?
Definition of (as) dead as a dodo. informal, chiefly British. —used to stress that someone or something is deadThe old captain was dead as a dodo. —often used figurativelyThe negotiations are as dead as a dodo. The deal is dead as a dododo.Where did deaf as a doornail originate?
This time it comes from the poem The Vision of William Concerning Piers Plowman. A translation from Old English reads: Faith without works is feebler than nothing, and dead as a doornail. As you can see, contrary to popular belief, William Shakespeare did not coin the phrase.What does on the wagon come from?
Originally on the water wagon or on the water cart, referring to carts used to hose down dusty roads: see the 1901 quotation below. The suggestion is that a person who is “on the wagon” is drinking water rather than alcoholic beverages.What is the origin of the expression cute as a button?
Pretty or attractive in a dainty way, as in That baby is cute as a button. Cute originally was a shortening of acute, for “sharp-witted and clever,” but in the early 1800s it also took on its current meaning. Other than that buttons and bug's hearing organs can be small, there is no good explanation for these similes.What does the phrase the be all and end all mean?
Use be all and end all in a sentence. noun. The be all end all is defined as something or someone who is considered to be a perfect specimen or the best and most desired. An example of be-all-end-all is winning an Academy Award for a celebrity. YourDictionary definition and usage example.What does dead as a mackerel mean?
Adjective. dead as a mackerel (not comparable) (simile) Utterly dead.Why do we say for crying out loud?
You use the expression for crying out loud in order to show that you are annoyed or impatient, or to add force to a question or request.What does two sheets in the wind mean?
two sheets to the wind. slang Extremely drunk. Most likely derived from nautical terminology, in which a "sheet" is the rope that controls the sails of a tall ship; if several sheets are loose or mishandled, the boat's movement becomes unsteady and difficult to control, like that of a drunk person.What are Bejeebers?
scare the bejeebers out of (someone) To shock or frighten someone very suddenly and/or severely. ("Bejeebers," a variant of "bejesus," is a mild euphemistic oath used here as an intensifying noun.) Don't sneak up on me like that, you scared the bejeebers out of me!What does it mean to hurt like the dickens?
Like the Dickens Meaning Definition: A lot; very much. This phrase is used as a general intensifier. Some common collocations are hurts like the dickens, run like the dickens, work like the dickens, miss you like the dickens, etc.Who were the Dickens?
Dickens was born Charles John Huffam Dickens on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, on the southern coast of England. The famed British author was the second of eight children. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk who dreamed of striking it rich.What does cute as the dickens mean?
"Dickens" can also be used as a comparative, as you do ("cute as the dickens"), or as a affectionate mock-epithet ("cute little dickens"). And: "Dickens" in this sense is, in fact, simply a euphemism for "devil," a way to swear in a moment of anger or exasperation without offending sensitive listeners. 
