David Coopperfield

[stanislaw.masny]

A passage from 'David Copperfield':
"Where's there?" enquired the carrier.
"Near London? I said.
"Why that horse," said the carrier, jerking the rein to point him out, "would be deader than pork afore he got over half the ground."
"Are you only going to Yarmouth then?" I asked.
I don't understand what the underlined words mean.
Thank you in advance.

 

[konungursvia]

That horse is not fit to go the distance to London.

 

[tedtmc]

A 'dead meat' is one that is dead, doomed, or beyond recovery.

 

[stanislaw.masny]

"Deader" is the the strange word, because I can imagine what is a dead horse, but "deader".:?:

 

[emsr2d2]

"Deader" is the the strange word, because I can imagine what is a dead horse, but "deader".:?:

Technically, of course, "deader" doesn't exist. One is either dead or alive. However, the word is sometimes used for emphasis or to be perhaps a little sarcastic.

- I'm going to jump out of a plane without a parachute.
- Well, when you hit the ground, you'll be deader than JFK/John Lennon/ (insert famous dead person of your choice!)

 

[BobK]

A 'dead meat' is one that is dead, doomed, or beyond recovery.

Well yes, but 'meat' is not usually countable. Besides, the current threat 'You are dead meat' couldn't have been known to Charles Dickens, so I don't see how this is relevant.

b