| 词汇 | dodo |
| 释义 | dodo noun 1 a fool US, 1898. 2 an aviation cadet who has not completed basic training US, 1933 be as dead as a dodoTo be outdated or unpopular. The "dodo" is a now-extinct bird. Although popular in the 1970s, disco music is as dead as a dodo today. (as) dead as a dodoOutdated or unpopular. The "dodo" is an extinct bird. Although popular in the 1970s, disco music is as dead as a dodo today. dumb-dodoslang Someone who is very stupid. Can you believe that dumb-dodo is still pushing the door marked "pull"? go the way of the dodoTo become outdated or obsolete. (The "dodo" is an extinct bird.) The prevalence of cell phones today has caused landlines to go the way of the dodo. *dead as a dodoand *dead as a doornail; deader than a doornaildead; no longer in existence. (*Also: as ~.) That silly old idea is dead as a dodo. When I tried to start my car this morning, I discovered that the battery was deader than a doornail. go the way of the dodoand go the way of the horse and buggyFig. to become extinct; to become obsolete. The floppy disc has gone the way of the horse and buggy. dead as a doornailAlso, dead as a dodo or herring . Totally or assuredly dead; also finished. For example, The cop announced that the body in the dumpster was dead as a doornail, or The radicalism she professed in her adolescence is now dead as a dodo, or The Equal Rights Amendment appears to be dead as a herring. The first, oldest, and most common of these similes, all of which can be applied literally to persons or, more often today, to issues, involves doornail, dating from about 1350. Its meaning is disputed but most likely it referred to the costly metal nails hammered into the outer doors of the wealthy (most people used the much cheaper wooden pegs), which were clinched on the inside of the door and therefore were "dead," that is, could not be used again. Dead as a herring dates from the 16th century and no doubt alludes to the bad smell this dead fish gives off, making its death quite obvious. Dead as a dodo, referring to the extinct bird, dates from the early 1900s. dodosee under dead as a doornail. dead as a dodoBRITISHIf something is as dead as a dodo, it is no longer active or popular. The foreign exchange market was as dead as a dodo. Note: The dodo was a large flightless bird that lived on the islands of Mauritius and Réunion. It became extinct in the late 17th century as a result of hunting and the destruction of its nests by pigs belonging to settlers on the islands. dead as a doornail1. If a person or animal is as dead as a doornail, they are completely dead. From the start of the movie it is clear that she will be as dead as a doornail by the time the credits roll. 2. If something or someone is as dead as a doornail, they are no longer active or popular. My $2,500 computer was dead as a doornail. Nobody will hire him now. He's finished. Dead as a doornail. Note: It is not certain what `doornail' actually refers to. In medieval times, it may have been the plate or knob on a door which was hit by the knocker. It was thought that anything that was struck so often must have been dead. Alternatively, doornails may have been the thick nails which were set into outer doors. It is not clear why these nails should be described as `dead'. dead as a (or the) dodo1 no longer alive. 2 no longer effective, valid, or interesting. informalThe name dodo comes from Portuguese duodo meaning ‘simpleton’. It was applied to the large flightless bird of Mauritius because the bird had no fear of man and so was easily killed, being quickly wiped out by visiting European sailors. The dodo's fate has made it proverbial for something that is long dead and the name has been used metaphorically for an old-fashioned, stupid, or unenlightened person since the 19th century. 2000 John Caughie Television Drama The once pleasant family hour is now as dead as a dodo. dead as a doornail (or as mutton)completely dead.A doornail was one of the large iron studs formerly often used on doors for ornamentation or for added strength; the word occurred in various alliterative phrases (e.g. deaf as a doornail and dour as a doornail ) but dead as a doornail is now the only one in common use. (as) dead as a/the ˈdodo(informal) no longer in existence; very old-fashioned: Old business practices are as dead as a dodo in the computer age.The dodo was a large bird that could not fly. It is now extinct (= it no longer exists). (as) ˌdead as a ˈdoornail(informal) completely deaddumb-dodo(ˈdəmˈdodo) n. a very stupid person. What a dumb-dodo you are! dead as a doornail Undoubtedly dead. dead as a doornailDead, unresponsive, defunct. This simile dates from the fourteenth century and the source of it has been lost. A doornail was either a heavy-headed nail for studding an outer door or the knob on which a door knocker strikes. One plausible explanation for the analogy to death is that it alluded to costly metal nails (rather than cheap wooden pegs), which were clinched and hence “dead” (could not be re-used). The expression was used in a fourteenth-century poem of unknown authorship, William of Palerne, and was still current when Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol (1843). There have been numerous similar proverbial comparisons—dead as a mackerel, dead as mutton, dead as a herring, dead as a stone—but this one, with its alliterative lilt, has survived longest. |
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