mortal

be dealt a mortal blow

1. To be wounded in a way that leads to one's death. The knight was dealt a mortal blow by a halberd to his abdomen. He's been in many a duel yet hasn't been dealt a mortal blow—it's truly miraculous. The warrior was swiftly dealt a mortal blow by his adversary on the battlefield.

2. By extension, to have one's ruin, failure, or defeat ensured by something. The senator's reelection hopes were dealt a mortal blow once news of the tax evasion scandal broke. Our industry will be dealt a mortal blow if these onerous new regulations are passed. The company had been very successful, until it was dealt a mortal blow by that massive recall.

See also: blow, dealt, mortal

deal (someone) a mortal blow

1. To wound someone in a way that leads to their death. The knight plunged his blade into his enemy's abdomen, dealing the foe a mortal blow. He's been in many a duel, yet no one has dealt him a mortal blow—it's truly miraculous. The warrior swiftly dealt his adversary a mortal blow on the battlefield.

2. By extension, to do something that ensures someone's or some group's ruin, failure, or defeat. The scandal over tax evasion has no doubt dealt the senator a mortal blow in his hopes for reelection. These onerous new federal regulations are going to deal our company a mortal blow. The company had been very successful until that massive recall dealt it a mortal blow.

See also: blow, deal, mortal

deal a mortal blow to (someone)

1. To wound someone in a way that leads to their death. The knight dealt a mortal blow to his enemy with a single thrust of his halberd. He's so cocky in battle that I know someone will deal a mortal blow to him sooner than later. The warrior swiftly dealt a mortal blow to his adversary on the battlefield.

2. By extension, to do something that ensures someone's or some group's ruin, failure, or defeat. The scandal over tax evasion has no doubt dealt a mortal blow to the senator's hopes for reelection. These onerous new federal regulations are going to deal a mortal blow to our entire industry. I'm worried that this massive recall will deal a mortal blow to our company.

See also: blow, deal, mortal, to

lesser mortal

Someone who is or is deemed to be lacking in some way compared to others. Yeah, can't say I'm surprised. There's always one set of rules for the rich and another for us lesser mortals. I would be concerned about turning the project over to a lesser mortal, but John will definitely handle the responsibility well.

See also: lesser, mortal

mere mortal

A human, and therefore capable of mistakes. The phrase emphasizes someone's humanity and fallibility. I have to make my expectations more realistic and realize that she's a mere mortal. Presidents are bound to make mistakes—they're mere mortals, just like the rest of us.

See also: mere, mortal

shuffle off

1. Literally, to leave or depart while dragging or sliding one's feet. The child shuffled off after being scolded by his parents. We all shuffled off back to our desks after the lunch break ended.

2. To leave or depart, especially slowly, gradually, or reluctantly. The party carried on into the night, and people didn't start shuffling off until nearly dawn. The student shuffled off dejectedly out of class after finding out she'd gotten a D on her test.

3. To dispose, get rid, or divest oneself of something, especially in a hasty or evasive manner. A noun or pronoun can be used between "shuffle" and "off," in which case it is usually followed by "(on)to (someone or something)." The politician has been shuffling off his investments in the company to avoid public perception of corruption. We've been shuffling these tasks off to our smaller teams to allow our bigger teams to focus on our more important projects.

4. To avoid, evade, or neglect something, especially some duty or responsibility. A noun or pronoun can be used between "shuffle" and "off," in which case it is usually followed by "(on)to (someone or something)." We all shuffled off classes for the day and took the train out to Coney Island. It came to light that Bill had been shuffling his reports off onto his secretary so that he could go out drinking.

See also: off, shuffle

shuffle off this mortal coil

To die. An allusion to a line in Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which Hamlet muses on what happens to the spirit after death. I've been giving my money away to my children over the past few years—I don't want them squabbling over it when I shuffle off this mortal coil. I heard that Jenkins shuffled off this mortal coil over the weekend.

See also: coil, mortal, off, shuffle, this

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

shuffle off this mortal coil

Euph. to die. (Often jocular or formal euphemism. Not often used in consoling someone.) Cousin Fred shuffled off this mortal coil after suffering a heart attack. When I shuffle off this mortal coil, I want to go out in style—bells, flowers, and a long, boring funeral.

See also: coil, mortal, off, shuffle, this

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

shuffle off

1. Get rid of, act evasively, as in They've tried to shuffle off public inquiries about the safety of their planes. This usage, dating from about 1600, also appears in the oft-quoted shuffle off this mortal coil, from Shakespeare's Hamlet (3:1), where it means "become freed from the turmoil of life," that is, "die."

2. Move away reluctantly, dragging one's feet, as in The prisoners shuffled off to their work detail. [Late 1500s]

See also: off, shuffle

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

shuffle off this mortal coil

die. literary

Shuffle off this mortal coil is a quotation from Shakespeare 's Hamlet. This mortal coil is sometimes used independently to mean ‘the fact or state of being alive’, with the suggestion that this is a troublesome state, since coil retains here its archaic sense of ‘turmoil’.

1986 Dudley Moore Off-Beat He was just one of a number of distinguished composers who have shuffled off their mortal coil in a variety of unusual ways.

See also: coil, mortal, off, shuffle, this

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

shuffle off this mortal ˈcoil

(old-fashioned or humorous) die: They believe that when they shuffle off this mortal coil their souls will become stars.This expression comes from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

See also: coil, mortal, off, shuffle, this

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

shuffle off

v.

1. To go with short sliding steps, without or barely lifting the feet: The sleepy children shuffled off to bed.

2. To leave; depart: Toward the end of the evening, the guests shuffled off one by one.

3. To rid oneself of something; dispose of or relocate something: I have not been able to shuffle off my embarrassment. The computer program automatically shuffles the outdated files off to another disk.

4. To evade or shirk something, such as a responsibility: He shuffled off his responsibilities and went to the beach. She shuffled her work off onto others because she wasn't feeling well.

See also: off, shuffle

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

shuffle off this mortal coil

Die. This phrase that appears in Hamlet combines the archaic meaning of two words. “Shuffle” meant “rid,” while “coil” meant “troubles.” As Shakespeare put it, “What dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause.”

See also: coil, mortal, off, shuffle, this

Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price