dead set against
Completely opposed to, as in His parents were dead set against John's taking a year off from college. Set against has been used to mean “opposed to” since the 1400s. Dead acquired the meaning “utterly” in the 16th century.
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Nearby words
- dead run,
- dead sea,
- dead sea fruit,
- dead sea scrolls,
- dead set,
- dead slow,
- dead soldier,
- dead space,
- dead spindle,
- dead spot
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.