Meaning & use
dead as the dodo
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalhumorous
Completely finished, extinct, or no longer existing or relevant.
Grammar: Used after a linking verb such as 'be' or 'seem': The custom is dead as the dodo.
Patterns
- be dead as the dodo
- seem dead as the dodo
That old slang word is dead as the dodo; nobody says it anymore.
The idea of a company pension for life is dead as the dodo in many industries.
My enthusiasm for camping in the rain was dead as the dodo after one night.
Common combinations
- be dead as the dodo
- The tradition is dead as the dodo in most cities.
- as dead as the dodo
- The language is as dead as the dodo.
- seem dead as the dodo
- The fashion seemed dead as the dodo until designers brought it back.
Synonyms and how they differ
- extinct
- Extinct is neutral and scientific; dead as the dodo is informal and often humorous.
- obsolete
- Obsolete means no longer used, often for technology; dead as the dodo is more dramatic and final.
Opposites
Commonly confused: dead as the dodo or dodo?
dead as the dodo vs dodo
The dodo is a real extinct bird; the phrase dead as the dodo uses it figuratively for anything completely gone.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'dead as the dodo' correctly.
Choose one answer.
Option 0 uses the phrase to mean completely obsolete, which fits. Option 1 wrongly uses it to mean 'extremely tired'; option 2 wrongly uses it to mean 'very fast'; option 3 is literal and repetitive, not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dead as the dodo”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.