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dead hand of

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the dead hand of something

something that stops progress from being made. Economic development has been held back by the dead hand of bureaucracy.

See also: dead, hand

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? References in classic literature
From the thong which held them stretched another to the dead hand of the little old woman; as I touched the cord the skeletons swung to the motion with a noise as of the rustling of dry leaves. A Princess of Mars by Burroughs, Edgar Rice View in context She came, O King, because the dead hand of Baleka summoned her, as thou sawest. Nada The Lily by Haggard, Rider H. View in context More results

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de facto
de rigeur
de trop
dead
dead as a doornail
dead duck
dead end

dead hand of
dead in the water
dead letter
Dead men tell no tales
dead of winter
dead on arrival
dead ringer for
dead set against

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