Meaning of Idiom ‘Dead Wrong’
To be dead wrong means to be completely wrong. 1
Examples Of Use
“I thought he was the right choice for the job but I was dead wrong.”
“I know I was dead wrong but I was given incorrect information.
Origin
Used since the late 1800’s.
Here, the word dead is used to mean completely or extremely, a usage that began in the 1600’s. 2,3
More Idioms Starting with D
More ‘Dead’ Idioms
More Wrong Idioms
- Rub Someone the Wrong Way
- Wrong Side of the Tracks, the
- Get Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed, to
- Bark Up the Wrong Tree
- Back the Wrong Horse
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References- Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s American Idioms Dictionary. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2008.
- McIntosh, Colin. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.