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Dead Euphemistic: Croak [7] To die Slang: Crossed the Jordan Died Biblical/Revivalist The deceased has entered the Promised Land (i.e. Heaven) Curtains Death Theatrical The final curtain at a dramatic performance Dead as a dodo [2] Dead Informal The 'dodo', flightless bird from the island of Mauritius hunted to extinction Dead as a doornail [1]
A proverbial phrase or expression is a type of conventional saying similar to a proverb and transmitted by oral tradition. The difference is that a proverb is a fixed expression, while a proverbial phrase permits alterations to fit the grammar of the context. [1] [2] In 1768, John Ray defined a proverbial phrase as:
The expression dead reckoning probably originated from use of the Dutchman's log, a buoyant object thrown overboard to determine the speed of the vessel relative to the object, which was assumed to be dead in the water. Apparently, the expression deduced reckoning was used when allowance was made for current and wind. It was often shortened to ...
The original intention of "dead" in the term is generally assumed to mean using a stationary object that is "dead in the water" as a basis for calculations. Additionally, at the time the first appearance of "dead reckoning", "ded" was considered a common spelling of "dead". This potentially led to later confusion of the origin of the term. [1]
Some expressions are deemed inappropriate and offensive in today's context. Like a Dragon While slang is usually inappropriate for formal settings, this assortment includes well-known expressions from that time, with some still in use today, e.g., blind date, cutie-pie, freebie, and take the ball and run. [2]
An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).
Alternatively, in the moment of death a person stretches their legs (Spanish: Estirar la pata means "to die") and so might kick the bucket placed there. Yet another theory seeks to extend the saying beyond its earliest use in the 16th century with reference to the Latin proverb Capra Scyria, the goat that is said to kick over the pail after being milked (920 in Erasmus' Adagia).
A bilingual tautological expression is a phrase that combines words that mean the same thing in two different languages. [8]: 138 An example of a bilingual tautological expression is the Yiddish expression מים אחרונים וואַסער mayim akhroynem vaser. It literally means "water last water" and refers to "water for washing the ...