Also: Dead and gone
Meaning Of Idiom ‘Dead and Buried’
Something that is dead and buried is completely ended; gone and forever in the past; no longer in use. 1McCarthy, Michael. Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms. Cambridge University Press, 2002,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,3Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
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Usage
Dead and buried is sometimes used to refer to a person literally having died, as in “you don’t need to worry about him trying to hurt you; he’s dead and buried.” However, it is usually used to refer to issues, ideas, etc.
Examples Of Use
“Many people think slavery is dead and buried but it still goes on in some parts of the world.”
“I can proudly announce that this unfair regulation is dead and buried,” said the congressman.
“Why would you bring up voting rights? The issue is dead and buried.”
“The old diner is dead and gone. Now there’s a fast food restaurant in its place.”
Origin
Used since the late 1800s 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2013. the figurative allusion is fairly obvious. When a person has died and been buried, they are neve coming back. Likewise, when an issue is dead and buried, it is irrevocably in the past. 5Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms]. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
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