Question

Dead as a Doornail totally dead or hopeless; without a chance of success

Accepted Answer

When Emily quit the show, the class play was as dead as a doornail. A book in the mid-1300s first used this expression. Perhaps its origin was the image of a metal plate (called a doornail) being hit so many times by the door knocker that it had its life knocked out of it. Also, "dead as a doornail" contains alliteration, and so does this variation on the saying: "dead as a dodo" (an extinct bird). Either expression is a good way to describe something that is out of date or no longer in existence.

Idiom	Dead as a Doornail
Example	When Emily quit the show, the class play was as dead as a doornail.
Meaning	totally dead or hopeless; without a chance of success
Origin	A book in the mid-1300s first used this expression. Perhaps its origin was the image of a metal plate (called a doornail) being hit so many times by the door knocker that it had its life knocked out of it. Also, "dead as a doornail" contains alliteration, and so does this variation on the saying: "dead as a dodo" (an extinct bird). Either expression is a good way to describe something that is out of date or no longer in existence.

Dead Doornail Emily Quit Show Class Play Totally