death on someone/something

death on (someone or something)

1. Hazardous to someone or something. Filing is just death on my hands in the winter—I get so many paper cuts! That harsh winter wind can be death on little ones' sensitive skin. It seems that cheapo motor oil has been death on my engine.

2. Very strict about something. The CEO is death on absenteeism, so I wouldn't take another sick day if I were you. My parents were death on swearing when I was growing up, so I still can't swear around them, even as an adult! You know that professor is death on plagiarism! What were you thinking, handing in a plagiarized paper?

3. Adept at something that requires skill. That golfer is death on putting, so I'm confident he'll only need one more stroke. Some of my teammates are death on bunting, but I've just never been good at it. I bet they elect to kick the ball now—their kicker is death on field goals.

See also: death, on

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

death on someone/something

n. causing the death or destruction of someone or something. (see also death on something.) This kind of road is just death on tires.

See also: death, on, someone, something

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.