drop-dead
[ drop-ded ]
/ ˈdrɒpˌdɛd /
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adjective
inspiring awe, astonishment, or envy: a drop-dead guest list; a drop-dead sable coat.
being the most extreme limit or possibility: What's the drop-dead date for handing in term papers? That is our drop-dead offer.
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Origin of drop-dead
First recorded in 1965–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for drop-dead
British Dictionary definitions for drop-dead
drop-dead
adverb
informal outstandingly or exceptionallydrop-dead gorgeous
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with drop-dead
drop dead
An expression of anger, rejection, or indignation toward someone. For example, I should do all that work for you? Drop dead! This rude imperative is usually hyperbolic, that is, the speaker is not literally asking someone to die on the spot. [c. 1930] Curiously, the adjective (and adverb) drop-dead is not at all insulting. Rather, it means “dazzling” or “awe-inspiring,” as in She wore a drop-dead outfit that all the other women admired. This usage originated in slangy journalism in the 1960s.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.