dead in the water
Completely defunct. Oh, that idea from last week's meeting is dead in the water now that the CEO has vetoed it. Good luck getting a refund from that company—it seems to be dead in the water these days. His mayoral campaign is likely dead in the water now, thanks to this exposé about his shady business dealings.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
dead in the water
stalled; immobile. (Originally nautical.) This whole company is dead in the water. The project is out of funds and dead in the water for the time being.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
dead in the water
Unable to function or move; inoperable. For example, Without an effective leader, our plans for expansion are dead in the water. Originally referring to a crippled ship, this colloquialism was soon applied more broadly.
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.
dead in the water
JOURNALISMCOMMON If something or someone is dead in the water, they have failed and they are unlikely to be successful in the future. I think for all practical purposes, the talks are now dead in the water. One backbench Tory MP said last night: `It looks as if he is dead in the water now.' Note: The image here is of a sailing boat which cannot move because there is no wind.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
dead in the water
unable to function effectively. Dead in the water was originally used of a ship and in this context means ‘unable to move’.
1997 Times And Oasis? Well, they are hardly dead in the water, having sold three million copies of Be Here Now.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
ˌdead in the ˈwater
a person or plan that is dead in the water has failed and has little hope of succeeding in the future: Now the scandal is out, his leadership campaign is dead in the water.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
dead in the water
mod. stalled; immobile. (Originally nautical.) The project is dead in the water for the time being.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
dead in the water
Unable to function or move: The crippled ship was dead in the water. With no leadership, the project was dead in the water.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
dead in the water
A failure. The analogy here is to a dead fish floating. The cliché dates from the second half of the 1900s and is most often applied to a struggling business that is about to fail completely.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer