subs. (turf).—An abbreviation of ‘dead certainty.’—See CERT.
1889. Bailey’s Magazine [quoted in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant]. ‘Dealers in the DEAD’ did well then.
Adj. (various).—Stagnant; ‘quiet’ (of trade); ‘flat’ (as of beer or aërated waters after exposure); cold (Am., see quot., 1888); good; thorough; complete (Cf., subs., sense). Also as an adv. as in DEAD BEAT, DEAD BEST, DEAD DRUNK, DEAD ROLLED (or FLUMMOXED), DEAD NUTS, DEAD BITCHED, etc.
1602. SHAKESPEARE, Othello, ii. 2. Why, he drinks you, with facility, your Dane DEAD-DRUNK.
1819. T. MOORE, Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress, p. 36.
| As DEAD hands at a mill as they, | |
| And quite as ready, after it. |
1843. DICKENS, Martin Chuzzlewit, ch. xvii., p. 187. ‘I wish you would pull off my boots for me,’ said Martin, dropping into one of the chairs, ‘I am quite knocked up. DEAD BEAT, Mark.’
1845. Punch, vol. IX., p. 163. The general opinion is that the Premier is DEAD BEAT. Ibid. (1860), vol. XXXIX., p. 37. A DEAD take-in is swipes too thin. Ibid. (1864). Veal is as DEAD as mutton.
1872. Derby Mercury, 1 May. ‘Freemasonry in New Zealand.’ He was not dead, but only DEAD DRUNK.
1884. W. C. RUSSELL, Jack’s Courtship, ch. vii. So surely do I intend to try my DEAD BEST—all that I know—to win Florence’s love and possess her as a wife.
1888. Puck’s Library, May, p. 27. HUNGRY GUEST.—Please bring me some clam fritters. COUNT (in disguise).—Live, ’r DEAD? HUNGRY GUEST.—Why, DEAD, of course! (And he got them stone-cold.)
DEAD AS A DOOR-NAIL, MUTTON, A HERRING, A TENT-PEG, JULIUS CæSAR, etc., adv. phr. (common).—Utterly, completely dead. DEAD AS A DOOR-NAIL is found in Langland’s Piers Plowman [1362]; all other forms are modern. [The door-nail is the striking-plate of the knocker. Herrings die sooner after capture than most fish.]
1593. G. HARVEY, Pierce’s Supererogation, in wks. II., 71. If you will needes strike it as DEAD AS A DORE NAILE.
1596. NASHE, Have with You to Saffron-Walden, in wks. III., 182. Wee’l strike it as DEAD AS A DOORE-NAILE.
1598. SHAKESPEARE, 2 Henry IV., iv. 3. Falstaff. What! is the old king DEAD? Pistol. AS NAIL IN DOOR.
1608. ARMIN, A Nest of Ninnies (1842), 11. But now the thought of the new come foole so much moued him, that he was as DEAD AS A DOORE NAYLE—standing on tip-toe, looking toward the door to behold arriuall, that he would put his nose out of joint.
1700. FARQUHAR, The Constant Couple, Act iv., Sc. 1. He’s as DEAD AS A DOOR-NAIL; for I gave him seven knocks on the head with a hammer.
1790. W. B. RHODES, Bombastes Furioso. Ay, DEAD AS HERRINGS—herrings that are red.
1843. DICKENS, A Christmas Carol, s.v.
1864. D. W. THOMPSON, Daydreams of a Schoolmaster, p. 230. The boat of Charon will push a difficult furrow through innumerable bodies, brick-bat laden, of purrless, soul-less DEAD-AS-DOOR-NAIL cats. Poor pussies.
1878. BESANT and RICE, By Celia’s Arbour, ch. xlviii. Quite dead he was, DEAD AS A DOOR-NAIL.
IN DEAD EARNEST, adv. phr. (colloquial).—Without doubt; in very truth.
1880. E. BELLAMY, Dr. Heidenhoff’s Process, p. 11. I am sure that you never had a more sincere, more DEAD-IN-EARNEST convert than I was.
