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-six¹

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

Example Sentences

But during a routine house visit in June, the co-owner of Deep Six Pest Control in Seguin, Texas, encountered something he hadn’t seen before in his 13 years in the business.

From National Geographic

He has gone deep six times over his last eight games.

From Seattle Times

The "Deep Six" singer, who was dropped by his record label following the allegations, also shared an Instagram post on Monday denying all of the allegations towards him.

From Fox News

The censorship targeted his article about the effort by mainstream news organizations and social media platforms to deep six the story because it is potentially damaging to the elder Mr. Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee.

From Washington Times

Oakland’s pitching staff allowed the third-fewest home runs in the AL, but the Astros have gone deep six times in the series.

From Seattle Times