deep-six

[ deep-siks ]
/ ˈdipˈsɪks /

verb (used with object) Slang.

to throw overboard.
to get rid of; abandon; discard.
to reject, negate, or ruin: The team deep-sixed the manager's attempt to call Sunday practice.

Origin of deep-six

First recorded in 1950–55; v. use of deep six

Definition for deep-six (2 of 2)

deep six

noun Slang.

burial or discarding at sea.
complete rejection or ruin.

Origin of deep six

First recorded in 1940–45

Example sentences from the Web for deep-six

British Dictionary definitions for deep-six

deep-six

verb

(tr) US slang to dispose of (something, such as documents) completely; destroy

Word Origin for deep-six

C20: from six feet deep, the traditional depth for a grave

Cultural definitions for deep-six

deep-six

To dispose of, discard, or get rid of: “The board of directors deep-sixed the proposal without even reading it.” This phrase is derived from the noun “deep six,” meaning burial at sea and referring to the depth of water necessary for such a burial. The term was later used as slang for a grave (customarily six feet underground) and, by extension, as a verb meaning “to kill.”

Idioms and Phrases with deep-six

deep six

1

Also, give or get the deep six. Burial at sea. For example, When the torpedo hit our boat, I was sure we'd get the deep six. This expression alludes to the customary six-foot depth of most graves. [Early 1900s]

2

Disposal or rejection of something, as in They gave the new plan the deep six. This usage comes from nautical slang of the 1920s for tossing something overboard (to its watery grave; see def. 1). It was transferred to more general kinds of disposal in the 1940s and gave rise to the verb to deep-six, for “toss overboard” or “discard.”