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• deep six
  deep six

  noun

  burial or discarding at sea.
• deep-six
  deep-six

  verb (used with object)

  to throw overboard.

deep six

¹ American  

noun

Slang.

1. burial or discarding at sea.

2. complete rejection or ruin.

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deep-six ² American  

[deep-siks] / ˈdipˈsɪks /

verb (used with object)

Slang.

1. to throw overboard.

2. to get rid of; abandon; discard.

3. to reject, negate, or ruin.

   The team deep-sixed the manager's attempt to call Sunday practice.

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deep-six British  

verb

1. slang (tr) to dispose of (something, such as documents) completely; destroy

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deep-six Cultural  

1. To dispose of, discard, or get rid of: “The board of directors deep-sixed the proposal without even reading it.” This phrase is derived from the noun “deep six,” meaning burial at sea and referring to the depth of water necessary for such a burial. The term was later used as slang for a grave (customarily six feet underground) and, by extension, as a verb meaning “to kill.”

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deep six Idioms  

1. Also, . Burial at sea. For example, When the torpedo hit our boat, I was sure we'd get the deep six . This expression alludes to the customary six-foot depth of most graves. [Early 1900s]

2. Disposal or rejection of something, as in They gave the new plan the deep six . This usage comes from nautical slang of the 1920s for tossing something overboard (to its watery grave; see def. 1). It was transferred to more general kinds of disposal in the 1940s and gave rise to the verb to deep-six , for “toss overboard” or “discard.”

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Etymology

Origin of deep six¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of deep-six²

First recorded in 1950–55; v. use of deep six

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deep six deep-six

Kiké Hernández, Rafael Devers and Michael Chavis also connected for Boston, which went deep six times in Monday's 13-4 win over Toronto.

From Fox News ● Jul. 22, 2021

Kiké Hernández, Rafael Devers and Michael Chavis also connected for Boston, which went deep six times in Monday’s 13-4 win over Toronto.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

Muncy also had a nine-game hitting streak snapped where he went deep six times and drove in 12 runs.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 23, 2019

Mike Tauchman, DJ LeMahieu and Didi Gregorius homered in the third inning, and New York went deep six times in a victory at Baltimore.

From Reuters ● Aug. 7, 2019

After corn is up, you may apply a table spoonful, at the first time hoeing; dig it an inch or two deep six inches from each stalk.

From Guano A Treatise of Practical Information for Farmers by Solon Robinson

“If you essentially deep-six the Mexican economy ... there are people who are going to once again flow across the U.S. border,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2025

Under terms of the contract with Haberman and Thrush, Random House’s unilateral decision to deep-six Thrush meant he was free to keep the cash he had received for agreeing to write the book.

From Washington Post ● May 31, 2018

Pentagon sources, however, say a major reason behind the decision to deep-six Adm.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2017

Rather than deep-six one of its most enduring female characters after Carol’s promotion, Marvel went in a bold new direction in a comics industry that rarely promotes nonwhite superheroes.

From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2014

In my mind, Neeson will deep-six his adversary and live to fight another day.

From The Guardian ● May 31, 2012