yes i am white

@Ms Understood - Ok.

Back to the topic - Where do these strange sayings come from - DEAD AS A DOOR NAIL?

if i had to think about it i'd say that (although a door nail has never been alive) its because it has no life, so its just saying it has as much life as a door nail, as to why the hell they used a door nail above everything else i dunno.....

dodo is kinda more appropriate i guess

Dead as a door nail is quoting Shakespear. A POSITIVE part of British 'culture' i took the liberty to show youse this:

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.

Steal ?! ME?!

LOL! I was read it on the wall of my old school library so i typed in a search engine 'on quoting shakespeak' and hey presto. but that is good though even if i do say so myself!

I've got another one to add, not covering their mouth when they cough, Only God knows why, esp the ones with the smokers cough, bloodly disgusting!

@MBD i know it took a while but ive only just been bored enough to search lol

Dead as a door nail


Meaning: To be dead, with no chance for recovery.

Example: You might as well junk that car, the engine is dead as a door nail.

Origin: Nails were once hand tooled and costly. When an aging cabin or barn was torn down the valuable nails would be salvaged so he could reuse them in later construction.

When building a door however, carpenters often drove the nail through then bent it over the other end so it couldn't work its way out during the repeated opening and closing of the door. When it came time to salvage the building, these door nails were considered useless, or "dead" because of the bend.

Not covering your mouth when you cough/sneeze is NOT part of Bristish culture!

summer i think you'll find its merely light humour.....you can honestly tell me you havent seen it happen on a regular basis? if you can then you obviously dont spend too much time on public transport