dead as a doorknob
English
editEtymology
editPossibly from a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the expression dead as a doornail. See usage notes below.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Adjective
edit- (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.
Usage notes
edit- Many other nouns can be substituted for doorknob, perhaps the oldest and original being doornail used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2, act 4, scene 10; and also by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol. Others include doormat, dodo, herring, kipper, mackerel, rock, and graveyard.
Translations
editunquestionably dead (see here)
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