tude and the longitude of the place where he was, and there they found him, half dead , but alive. dead beat • deadbeat dead beat—(also: dead beaten) extremely tired: It took me a very short time to get between the blankets, and soon I was asleep, for I was dead beat after my ride. deadbeat—(sl.) 1. an idler who is not working or looking for a job: Al was a deadbeat barely on the right side of the law, who hadn’t had a job in six years. 2. smb. who persistently fails to fulfill his obligations or pay his debts: Wilson was a deadbeat who lived the end of his life running from creditors. dead bird • dead pigeon dead bird —(Austral. sl.) a sure thing; a certainty: I used to prowl where jockeys herd, And tipped them for a sure “dead bird .” dead pigeon —(sl., also: dead duck) 1. a person or thing re- garded as useless or a failure: The Dominion Stores Ltd. was a dead pigeon and everyone knew it. 2. a dead person: Now, having risked everything on my logic, I was a dead pigeon if wrong. There were only minutes left. dead end • living end, the dead end—1. an end of a passage, such as a street or pipe, that affords no exit: The passage was a dead end . Ten meters in front of her, a solid stone wall stood, trapping her. 2. a point beyond which no progress can be made: The project turned out to be a dead end . The longer I worked on it the less I was able to actually produce something. living end, the —1. said of a person or thing that is extremely good or quite extraordinary: We were big fans of their band. We thought it was the living end in those days. 2. said of a person or thing that is very annoying or irritating: The man was really the living end . When his typing was interrupted he threw his hands in the air and sighed loudly. dead fire • death-fire dead fire —1. extinguished or extinct fire: Mr. Evans was sit- ting there, staring at the dead fire , the poker in his hand. 2. (also: St. Elmo’s fire) a naturally occurring electrical discharge, usually in stormy weather: We looked up, and saw a dead-fire sticking to the cross-trees of the mast. death-fire —1. a fire causing loss of life: The changes in the death fire statistics cannot be explained by this factor alone. 2. a fire for burning a person to death: A large wooden statue of the blessed Virgin was brought to make the death-fire . dead hand • dead man’s hand dead hand —1. the influence of the past regarded as control- ling the present: The dead hand of vanished generations of historians has determined beyond possibility of appeal the pattern of the past. 2. (coll.) an expert at doing smth.: First- rate work it was, too; he was always a dead hand at splitting. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase hand of death—(liter.) death; demise: If, under its in- fluence, normal physical functions could be suspended, per- haps the hand of death , too, could be stayed. dead man’s hand—a zoophyte (Alcyonium digitatum) form- ing fleshy masses: Dead Man’s Hand is indebted for the En- glish name to the fishermen, who often take it up in their nets. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase dead-man’s arm—(UK) a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is then spread with jam and rolled up: Because Jam Roly- Poly was often served in an old shirt-sleeve, another nickname for the pudding was dead-man’s arm . dead head • death’s head dead head—1. (coll.) a person who contributes nothing to an enterprise or activity; a non–fare-paying passenger, etc.: “No more dead-heads ,” Mr. Skinner warned. “Hereafter, pay for your guests.” 2. a dead flower that has become withered and faded: The culling of dead heads is a ploy that figures persistently in the garden in summer. 3. an obstruction float- ing so low in the water that only a small part of it is visible: Numerous “dead-heads ” bobbed in the current like otters swimming with the stream. death’s head—a human scull as an emblem of death or a danger sign: There had been three variations of the chemical hazard symbol. One was a picture of a death’s head , or skull and crossbones. dead heat • deadly heat dead heat—said of a race in which competitors finish at the same time: The horses came to the finish in a dead heat , and, without a photograph, the results were too close to call. deadly heat—extreme or excessive heat: These times of deadly heat demand all of our concern and commitment to prevent heat-related tragedies. dead house • death house dead house—1. (dated) a mortuary; a morgue: When they reached the Ferry Beach they made all speed to the hospital and to the “dead house ,” which held seven coffins. 2. (sl.) an uninhabited house: We thought it was a “dead” house , but we walked into a girl’s room and she squealed. death house—(U.S. Prison) a group of death cells for persons awaiting execution: He has three murders behind him, and the grey doors of the death-house in front of him. dead line • deadline dead line—1. an article which a shopkeeper has stopped dealing in because customers have no more interest in it: Silk stockings have been a dead line for years and years, Madam! 2. (also: dead wire) a cable through which no electricity passes: It was as if she had been calling on a dead line to an empty building. 3. a straight line: The equipment is designed to guide the aircraft along a localizer beam to keep it in dead line with the center of the runway. deadline —time or date fixed in advance by which smth. must be done: As a journalist, I always have to work to a deadline . dead loss • total loss dead loss —1. said of smth. totally unsuccessful: The defense budget was not a dead loss : the economies of South Africa and Namibia got a shot in the arm as a result of this. 2. (coll.) said of a person who is quite worthless: We’d better fire Smith now—he’s a dead loss . total loss —(Insurance) an irreparably damaged vehicle: The natural inclination is to under-insure and take the chance of not having a total loss . dead man • dead soldier dead man—1. an object buried in the ground and used as an anchorage: A deck hand was killed by being struck on the head by a “dead man .” 2. (sl.) an empty liquor bottle: I re- turned to my table and finished my drink. When the owner appeared again I asked if I could help remove the dead men . dead soldier —(sl., also: dead marine) 1. = dead man 2: There weren’t any prints on that bottle. That dead soldier was as clean as a whistle. Cf.: wounded soldier —(U.S. sl.) a partially- finished can or bottle of beer that can still be consumed: “I can’t find any more beer anywhere, Ted.” “Here, take this wounded soldier off me.” 2. a cigarette butt: He collected dead soldiers to use in building a whole smoke. dead money • dead on the money dead money—money invested in unsold products which – 93 – dead money