Meaning of Idiom ‘Dead Meat’
To be dead meat means to be in serious trouble; as good as dead; dead. 1,2,3
Usage
The original meaning of dead meat, used since the mid-1800’s, was dead, but since mid-1950’s the idiom has been used as an exaggerated threat and rarely refers to actual death. 4
Examples Of Use
“If you don’t pay me my five bucks you’re dead meat!”
“Play one of your little pranks on me and you’ll be dead meat.”
“I owe a lot of money to some bad people. I’m dead meat.”
“If I see you outside of school you’re dead meat.”
Origin
Used since the mid-1800’s, this idiom alludes to a dead body being nothing but “meat.”
More Idioms Starting with D
More ‘Dead’ Idioms
More Meat Idioms
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References
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
- Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.