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dead loss

noun

informal a person, thing, or situation that is completely useless or unprofitable
a complete loss for which no compensation is received

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.
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Words nearby dead loss

dead leg, dead letter, dead letter box, dead lift, dead load, dead loss, dead mail, dead man, dead man walking, dead man's fingers, dead man's hand
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with dead loss

dead loss
1

A total loss, as in They've changed the currency, so these old coins are a dead loss. [Early 1700s]

2

A worthless person or thing; also, an utter waste of time. For example, With an injured knee he's a dead loss to the team, or It rained every day, so our week at the beach was a dead loss. [1920s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.