Does anyone know the origin of the phrase "dead as a door nail"? I've heard it all my life, and used it myself. But I examined the nails in my door, and they appear no more dead -- or alive -- then the nails in my wall or in my floor.

welcome, beanie!

here's what I found at Bartleby:


Dead as a door-nail. The door-nail is the plate or knob on which the knocker or hammer strikes. As this nail is knocked on the head several times a day, it cannot be supposed to have much life left in it. 1
“Come thou and thy five men, and if I do not leave you all as dead as a door-nail, I pray God I may never eat grass more.”—Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., iv. 10. (Jack Cade.)

“Falstaff. What! is the old king dead?
Pistol. As nail in door.”

Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., v. 3.
Dead as a herring. (See HERRING.)

there will be more, I'm sure...

Welcome aBoard, beanie.
Dead as a dodo, for one.

Will this clinch it for you?

http://www.quinion.com/words/qa/qa-dea1.htm

Will this clinch it for you?
a technique called clinching


I got to wondering about the origin of the word clinch. GuruNet (sigh) says it is a variant of clench. So I looked up that one, and it said: Middle English clenchen, from Old English beclencan. At least GuruNet has the 2003 edition of the AHD.

As the boxing ref said, no hitting in the clinches.

Welcome beanie. Interesting thread. I've always wondered about that.