deep six

¹

noun

Slang.

1. burial or discarding at sea.

2. complete rejection or ruin.

deep-six

²

[deep-siks]

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.

deep-six

verb

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

deep-six

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of deep-six¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of deep-six²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of deep-six¹

C20: from six feet deep, the traditional depth for a grave

Idioms and Phrases

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]

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.”