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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

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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

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

Brett Gardner also connected twice and Gary Sanchez had a solo drive as New York went deep six times.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2019

He slowed, somewhat, in September, going deep six times but still producing a .937 on-base plus slugging percentage for the month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2018

The ditch is forty feet wide, and twelve feet deep, six of which is sometimes filled with water.

From The Spaniards in Florida Comprising the notable settlement of the Huguenots in 1564, and the History and Antiquities of St. Augustine, Founded A.D. 1565 by George R. Fairbanks

“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

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