Dead as a doornail

Definition

Completely dead or utterly lifeless, with no possibility of revival.

Etymology

This phrase dates back to the 14th century and refers to the large-headed nails used in medieval doors. These nails were 'clinched' (bent over) on the inside of the door after being hammered through, making them impossible to remove and reuse - hence 'dead' or useless. The phrase gained literary prominence through Shakespeare and Dickens.

Kelly Says

The doornail comparison is brilliant because these nails were literally 'killed' by the construction process - once clinched, they could never serve as nails again. It's a surprisingly technical metaphor that most people use without knowing the carpentry knowledge behind it, showing how specialized craft terminology can become universal expressions!

Translations

AMአማርኛ
እንደ መደብ ነው
en-de me-deb ne-w
ARالعربية
ميت مثل مسمار
mayyt mis-la ma-sa-mar
BNবাংলা
মৃত্যু হিসাবে দরজার মত
mr-tyu hisa-be dar-ja-r mat
CACatalà
mort com una clau
mort kom u-na kla-u
CSČeština
mrtvý jako hřebík
mrt-v-y ja-ko hre-bík
DADansk
død som en dør
doht som en door
DEDeutsch
tot wie eine Tür
toht vee ei-ne toor
ELΕλληνικά
νεκρός σαν μια πόρτα
ne-kros san mi-a porta
ESEspañol
muerto como una puerta
mu-er-to komo u-na puerta
FAفارسی
مرگ مثل میخ
mar-g mis-tal mi-kh
FISuomi
kuollut kuin ovi
kuo-lut kuin ovi
FRFrançais
mort comme une porte
mor kom m-o-n po-rt
GUGU
દરવાજા જેવી મૃત્યુ
dar-va-ja je-vi mr-tyu
HAHA
kwanta kamar
kwan-ta ka-mar
HEעברית
מת כמו ברגי
met komo ber-gi
HIहिन्दी
दरवाजे की तरह मरा हुआ
dar-wa-je ki ta-ra-h ma-ra hu-wa
HUMagyar
halott mint egy ajtó
ha-lo-tt mint egy a-jto
IDBahasa Indonesia
mati seperti paku
ma-ti se-pe-ti pa-ku
IGIG
nwụrụ dị ka ụgbọ
nwu-ru di ka ug-bo
ITItaliano
morto come un chiodo
mor-to ko-me un cho-do
JA日本語
ドアノブのように死んでいる
doa nobu no you ni shinde iru
KKKK
өлі
o-li
KMKM
ស្លាប់ដូចជាច្បាប់
s-laap do-ch ja cha-bap
KO한국어
문틀처럼 죽은
mun-teul-cheo-rom jug-eun
MRMR
गडद म्हणून मृत
gad-d mhon-noon mr-t
MSBahasa Melayu
mati seperti paku
ma-ti se-pe-ti pa-ku
MYမြန်မာ
ဘာလုံးမလုပ်
ba-la-lon-ma-lu-k
NLNederlands
dood als een deur
doot als een deur
NONorsk
død som en dør
doht som en door
PAPA
ਦਰਵਾਜੇ ਵਾਂਗ ਮਰਿਆ
dar-va-je vaang mar-ya
PLPolski
martwy jak gwoźdź
mar-t-v-y jak gwo-dz
PTPortuguês
morto como uma porta
mor-to komo u-ma por-ta
RORomână
mort ca un cui
mort ka un cui
RUРусский
мертвый как гвоздь
mer-t-v-y-y kak gro-zd'
SVSvenska
död som en dörr
doht som en door
SWKiswahili
kufa kama msumari
ku-fa ka-ma m-su-ma-ri
TAதமிழ்
தூரத்துக்குப் போல இறந்த
toora-thuk-kup pola i-ranth
TEతెలుగు
దరవాజా వంటిగా మరణించారు
da-ra-va-jaa van-ti-ga ma-ra-ni-ch-a-ru
THไทย
ตายเหมือนตะปู
ta-y meuan ta-pu
TLTL
patay gaya pako
pa-tay ga-ya pa-ko
TRTürkçe
kapı çivisi gibi ölü
ka-pi chi-vi-si bi-gi o-lu
UKУкраїнська
мертий як цвях
mer-ti-y yak tvyakh
URاردو
مرگ کی طرح پر
mar-g ki ta-r-ah par
VITiếng Việt
chết như cái đinh
chet nhu cai dinh
YOYO
ku ìṣẹ́
ku i-she
ZH中文
死得像门钉一样
sǐ de xiàng mén dīng yīyàng
ZUZU
waka njengomhlathi
wa-ka njengom-hla-thi

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