dead loss

British  

noun

1. informal a person, thing, or situation that is completely useless or unprofitable

2. a complete loss for which no compensation is received

---

dead loss Idioms  

1. A total loss, as in They've changed the currency, so these old coins are a dead loss . [Early 1700s]

2. A worthless person or thing; also, an utter waste of time. For example, With an injured knee he's a dead loss to the team , or It rained every day, so our week at the beach was a dead loss . [1920s]

---

Example Sentences

“He never received a dime - it was a dead loss for him and his family between his initial investment, legal fees and eventual settlement.”

From Washington Times • Jul. 6, 2020

“Coach Tuberville was as surprised as anyone to learn Stroud had lost all the money, including Coach’s. He never received a dime; it was a dead loss for him and his family,” Mr. McDonald said.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2020

Still, it's not a dead loss, suggests MacCulloch: "Blake was a mystic, and he was saying, in his lovely poetry, that God dwells everywhere - including England."

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2016

It may have only cost £1 a ticket in 1970, but at the time he said: "The farm is such a dead loss we've got to look at other ways of making money."

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2013

My own cap had also disappeared in the fright, and I was in a bad way for defence, and completely at a dead loss as to the bearings of the camp.

From The Humors of Falconbridge A Collection of Humorous and Every Day Scenes by Falconbridge