"Dead As A Doornail" Idiom Definition And Origin

[sl8]

https://grammarist.com/idiom/dead-as-a-doornail/

Dead As A Doornail Idiom Definition And Origin

| GRAMMARIST | IDIOM

Dead as a doornail is a phrase which means not alive, unequivocally deceased. The term goes back to the 1300s, the phrase dead as a doornail is found in poems of the time. The term dead as a doornail was used in the 1500s by William Shakespeare, and in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in 1843. It is thought that the phrase dead as a doornail comes from the manner of securing doornails that were hammered into a door by clenching them.

Clenching is the practice of bending over the protruding end of the nail and hammering it into the wood. When a nail has been clenched, it has been dead nailed, and is not easily resurrected to use again.

An alternative wording of the phrase dead as a doornail is deader than a doornail.

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The common expression, “as dead as a doornail,” has a vague yet fascinating origin from the 1300s. It can be traced back to the famous poem of William Langland entitled Piers Plowman.

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[eppur_se_muova]

1. Ah, I should have known this already.

Clinch nails were used to make wood doors fire-resistant. In the absence of clinching, the heat of a fire can cause boards to warp and pull nails loose, so that flames can penetrate the spaces. With clinching, the door hangs together even when the wood tries to warp, and is considered a "fire door". Clinch nails have to be made of softer iron than common nails to facilitate bending, and are sold as "fire door nails".

https://tremontnail.com/fire-door-clinch.html

[sl8]

3. I had no idea. Thank you. nt

[mitch96]

2. Neat article and got me thinking... I remember I read about clinched nails in boat building.

If you page down it has a good illustration of "clinching"..
m

https://www.diy-wood-boat.com/Clench_Nails.html

[sl8]

4. Excellent. Thanks. nt