dead man

See also: deadman and Deadman

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

dead man (plural dead men)

1. A dead man's switch.
2. (slang) A bottle of alcoholic drink that has been consumed.

   Synonym: dead soldier

3. (UK, slang, obsolete) An extra loaf stolen from a bakery by a servant who smuggles it into the customer's basket (and sometimes fraudulently charges it to the customer).
   • 1833, Francis West, Fun for winter evenings, page 27:

     A crusty loaf at your service — but master gets over-crusty, 'cause last week's bill ar'nt paid. I'm no "snatcher," altho' now and then I make "a dead man." […] We all admit the baker's skill, / To charge a dead man in his bill; […]

4. Alternative form of deadman.

Derived terms

• dead man's arm
• dead man's brake
• dead man's fingers
• dead man's hand
• dead man's handle
• dead man's switch
• dead man walking

References

• (stolen loaf): John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• amanded