dead on (one's) feet

1. Near to the point of collapse or losing consciousness (as due to exhaustion or injury) while still remaining on one's feet; just short of being asleep or unconscious. Doctors in training are expected to endure an unbelievable amount of stress and exhaustion. Surely it is counterproductive forcing them to attend to each of their patients while they're dead on their feet.

2. Still functioning, but past the point of usefulness or productivity; All but or as good as defeated. The company has managed to remain open, but, truth be told, it's really been dead on its feet for the last year.

See also: dead, feet, on

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dead on one's feet

and dead on its feet

Fig. exhausted; worn out; no longer useful. Ann is so tired. She's really dead on her feet. He can't teach well anymore. He's dead on his feet. This inefficient company is dead on its feet.

See also: dead, feet, on

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

dead on one's feet

Also, dead tired. Extremely weary, as in Mom was in the kitchen all day and was dead on her feet, or I'd love to go, but I'm dead tired. The use of dead for "tired to exhaustion" dates from the early 1800s, and dead on one's feet, conjuring up the image of a dead person still standing up, dates from the late 1800s.

See also: dead, feet, on

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

dead on your feet

If you are dead on your feet, you are extremely tired. The police were stumbling around, dead on their feet. I'm usually dead on my feet at the end of the game.

See also: dead, feet, on

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

dead on your feet

extremely tired. informal

This expression was a development from the phrase dead tired , as an exaggerated way of expressing a feeling of exhaustion. Dead is sometimes also used on its own to mean ‘exhausted’.

See also: dead, feet, on

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌdead on your ˈfeet

extremely tired: She’d just got back from a business trip and was dead on her feet. OPPOSITE: full of beans

See also: dead, feet, on

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

dead on one's feet

Extremely tired. This graphic hyperbole, with its use of “dead” in the meaning of “utterly fatigued,” is probably related to dead tired, where “dead” means “very” or “absolutely.” This locution has been traced to Irish speech and appears in such clichés as dead wrong for “completely mistaken,” dead right for “absolutely correct,” dead certain for “totally sure,” and others. “Dead on one’s feet” became common in the mid-twentieth century. John Braine used it in Life at the Top (1962): “Honestly, I’m dead on my feet.”

See also: dead, feet, on

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer

See also:

dead on feet
dead on one's feet
dead on your feet
out on (one's) feet
be dead on (one's) feet
be out on (one's) feet
be in the Land of Nod
in the Land of Nod
catch flies
force of habit

词组	dead on (one's) feet
释义	dead on (one's) feet dead on (one's) feet 1. Near to the point of collapse or losing consciousness (as due to exhaustion or injury) while still remaining on one's feet; just short of being asleep or unconscious. Doctors in training are expected to endure an unbelievable amount of stress and exhaustion. Surely it is counterproductive forcing them to attend to each of their patients while they're dead on their feet. 2. Still functioning, but past the point of usefulness or productivity; All but or as good as defeated. The company has managed to remain open, but, truth be told, it's really been dead on its feet for the last year. See also: dead, feet, on Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. dead on one's feet and dead on its feet Fig. exhausted; worn out; no longer useful. Ann is so tired. She's really dead on her feet. He can't teach well anymore. He's dead on his feet. This inefficient company is dead on its feet. See also: dead, feet, on McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. dead on one's feet Also, dead tired. Extremely weary, as in Mom was in the kitchen all day and was dead on her feet, or I'd love to go, but I'm dead tired. The use of dead for "tired to exhaustion" dates from the early 1800s, and dead on one's feet, conjuring up the image of a dead person still standing up, dates from the late 1800s. See also: dead, feet, on The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. dead on your feet If you are dead on your feet, you are extremely tired. The police were stumbling around, dead on their feet. I'm usually dead on my feet at the end of the game. See also: dead, feet, on Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. dead on your feet extremely tired. informal This expression was a development from the phrase dead tired , as an exaggerated way of expressing a feeling of exhaustion. Dead is sometimes also used on its own to mean ‘exhausted’. See also: dead, feet, on Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary ˌdead on your ˈfeet extremely tired: She’d just got back from a business trip and was dead on her feet. OPPOSITE: full of beans See also: dead, feet, on Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary dead on one's feet Extremely tired. This graphic hyperbole, with its use of “dead” in the meaning of “utterly fatigued,” is probably related to dead tired, where “dead” means “very” or “absolutely.” This locution has been traced to Irish speech and appears in such clichés as dead wrong for “completely mistaken,” dead right for “absolutely correct,” dead certain for “totally sure,” and others. “Dead on one’s feet” became common in the mid-twentieth century. John Braine used it in Life at the Top (1962): “Honestly, I’m dead on my feet.” See also: dead, feet, on The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer See also: dead on feet dead on one's feet dead on your feet out on (one's) feet be dead on (one's) feet be out on (one's) feet be in the Land of Nod in the Land of Nod catch flies force of habit
随便看	sleep around the clock sleep away sleep a wink, not sleeper sleep fest sleepfest sleep in sleeping at the switch sleeping giant sleeping on (someone or something) sleeping partner sleeping policeman sleep it off sleep like a sleep like a baby sleep like a log sleep like a log/top sleep like a log/top, to sleep like a rock sleep like a top sleep off sleep on sleep on it sleep on (someone or something) sleep on (something)