look like death warmed over

look like death warmed over

To look extremely ill, exhausted, or worn out. Wow, how much did you have to drink last night? You look like death warmed over! He looked like death warmed over after running that race.

See also: death, like, look, over, warm

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

like death warmed over/up, to feel/look

To feel or look utterly exhausted or extremely ill. This comparison to one step away from death originated in the twentieth century, perhaps during World War I; it appears in a dictionary of soldiers’ slang of 1939. It may be obsolescent, although a shortened form, to feel like death, is still current.

See also: death, feel, like, look, over, to, warm

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer