Today I am going to explain a usage of the word Dead that you may commonly hear, but not quite understand. This is its slang use to mean:
Exact, precise accurate; sure; unerring, absolutely; completely; altogether; direct or straight, and occasionally, to mean suddenly
The dead center of a circle/square/place/area. (exact, direct). We're in the dead center of town.
A dead shot. (accurate, precise) Bull's eye! That answer was a dead shot
A dead line. (straight, accurate, unerring). He made a dead line to the bathroom.
(not to be confused with "deadline", which means a time limit).
Dead right/Dead wrong (Absolutely/completely/ altogether). The Republicans are dead wrong about taxes.
Dead tired. (Absolutely/completely/ altogether).
Dead sure/certain (Absolutely/completely/ altogether)
Dead broke (Absolutely/completely/ altogether)
Dead ahead (direct/straight), e.g., There's a gas station dead ahead.
3. Stop dead (suddenly) She stopped dead on the stairway.
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| Dead Center! |
Today's idiom is Dead To Rights, which means:
Note: This is a very difficult idiom to understand. The first part of the phrase, “dead,” is the slang use of the word to mean “absolutely, without doubt", but the second part, "to rights” is a bit more complicated. “To rights” has been used since the 14th century to mean “in a proper manner,” or, later, “in proper condition or order,” "To rights" is probably used in British English much more than American English. This said, Dead To Rights is considered an American idiom. The British say "Bang To Rights". I suppose that the best definition of this idiom is "absolutely sure and certain order". In other words, "without question or doubt". To be caught in the very act of making an error or committing a crime
The runner was thrown out, dead to rights, by the pitcher as he attempted to steal second base
The police caught the thief dead to rights with the stolen goods still in his hands.
I have you dead to rights in this lie!
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| "Picked off, dead to rights!" |
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