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

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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]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dead loss

“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

Let me see," said Mike; "by returnin, I may lose the market—a dead loss o' twenty pound, at least.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 12 by Various