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doornail

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus 0.04 sec.
*dead as a dodo and *dead as a doornail; deader than a doornail
dead; no longer in existence. (*Also: as ~.) That silly old idea is dead as a dodo. When I tried to start my car this morning, I discovered that the battery was deader than a doornail.
See also: dead, dodo

be as dead as a doornail  (informal)
to be dead I found the fish, dead as a doornail, floating on the surface of the water. At first I though Jake was dead as a doornail, but he was only fast asleep.
See also: dead

be as deaf as a post  (British, American & Australian informal) also be as deaf as a doorknob/doornail (Australian)

to be completely deaf She's 89 and as deaf as a post.
See fall on deaf ears, turn a deaf ear
See also: deaf, post

(as) dead as a doornail
1. obviously dead The fox in the road was dead as a doornail.
2. not active at all Nothing ever happens in our town - it's as dead as a doornail.
Etymology: based on the literal meaning of doornail (a nail with a large head)
See also: dead


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? References in periodicals archive
Dead as a doornail in the face of this new motivation on the block.
Talking of her sexual urges, she described them as "since I got the virus, dead as a doornail.
The idea that something safe and solid like real estate is a hard asset that serves as a perceived safety net for the investor is dead as a doornail, according to Libert.
 
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