It doesn't matter what you can find on the web. I could give you a billion examples of incorrect nonsense but that doesn't mean it's good English. I think what ghoul really means to ask is whether we think he should say it.
It doesn't matter what you can find on the web. I could give you a billion examples of incorrect nonsense but that doesn't mean it's good English. I think what ghoul really means to ask is whether we think he should say it.
True; I value your guys' opinions because I find it hard to tell if a phrase feels right to a native just because some people from linguee texts used it.
Anyhow, we're at 1:1 right now.
I don't think I've ever used "dead serious" and certainly not the other one. Why is that? Well, it's usually quite obvious when you're serious. Therefore, there's no reason to say that. Also, "dead-on serious" is, going by the small sample of usages I've seen, used to contrast with "humorous".
I don't disagree with Jutfrank. (It's not a contest.)