Death is the final unknown

[hhtt21]

"Death is the final unknown." This word occurs after gameover in a PC game. Is it a famous word? Does it have a figurative meaning?

Thank you.

 

[andrewg927]

It's quite literal but it could have a figurative meaning but I don't know of one off the top of my head.

 

[Tdol]

We don't know whether it is the end or not, so it is the last thing in life that we don't know about and can only learn by dying.

 

[Raymott]

We don't know whether it is the end or not, so it is the last thing in life that we don't know about and can only learn by dying.

And that we will learn by dying is a common, though also uncertain, proposition.

 

[teechar]

I'm dying (not) to find out.

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For our learners: look at the link below.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/be-dying-for-to-do-sth

 

[Lynxear]

"Death is the final unknown." This word occurs after gameover in a PC game. Is it a famous word? Does it have a figurative meaning?

Thank you.

I have a feeling, that since you saw this sentence after playing a PC game, that your game manufacturer has a sequel, titled "Death is the Final Unknown".

Your sentence is probably advertising the next game in the series.

 

[Tdol]

And that we will learn by dying is a common, though also uncertain, proposition.

There is no other way, sadly.

 

[Raymott]

There is no other way, sadly.

True, as far as we know. My only point is that it's an error to consider that dying is necessarily a way at all. Sometimes it goes unquestioned that we'll find out what happens after death after we die.

 

[Tdol]

Indeed- if those that believe in an afterlife are wrong, they won't find out when they die. I have always liked the idea of a five-second afterlife with a big sign telling them that they were wrong before the lights go off.

 

[hhtt21]

Indeed- if those that believe in an afterlife are wrong, they won't find out when they die. I have always liked the idea of a five-second afterlife with a big sign telling them that they were wrong before the lights go off.

Does "before the lights go off" mean before die? But I cannot find any such idiom.

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

There's the added problem that, if the people who believe in an afterlife turn out to be right, then there's every chance that death won't turn out to be the "final unknown". In the afterlife, there could lots of unknowns!

Basically, absolutely everything about what happens from the second you die is unknown (except what happens to the corpse - it's burnt or it rots or, in some cultures, it's left out for wild animals).

 

[hhtt21]

It's not an established idiom. Any native speaker would understand that Tdol was referring to the final moment of death.

Is the "establihsed" the first one?

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/established

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Established" means commonly accepted/in common use. When an idiom or a new word is first coined, not many people use it. It takes a while to spread. Once it's spread to a certain level of use (I have no idea what that level is) then it's considered established.

(Edit: I couldn't get your link to open so I didn't realise you were asking about "the first definition in the link". I thought you were suggesting that "established" meant "the first time an idiom is used. I've managed to open the link now so feel free to just take notice of Piscean's response below! )

 

[hhtt21]

There's the added problem that, if the people who believe in an afterlife turn out to be right, then there's every chance that death won't turn out to be the "final unknown". In the afterlife, there could lots of unknowns!.

Would you please explain the phrase "there is every chance that ..."

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

It means "It is very likely that ..."

 

[hhtt21]

It means "It is very likely that ..."

Even though there are lots of examples and websites concerning and covering the phrase in question, there is no any that explain what it is.

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

Even though there are lots of examples and websites concerning and covering the phrase in question, there [STRIKE]is no any[/STRIKE] are none that explain what it is.

See above.

 

[hhtt21]

See above.

Is this also wrong: "They can say a lot of different nice words but there is no any that can describe" ?

http://www.euask.com/topic/6251-Do-you-love-your-children-more-than-yourself

 

[emsr2d2]

I can't even find that sentence in the link but it doesn't matter - yes, that sentence is completely ungrammatical. It was clearly written by a non-native speaker (as were most of the responses I did read on that page).

It's an incomplete sentence so I don't know what the writer was really trying to convey but I assume they meant something like "They can use many nice words but there are none that can describe ..."

 

[hhtt21]

I can't even find that sentence in the link but it doesn't matter - yes, that sentence is completely ungrammatical. It was clearly written by a non-native speaker (as were most of the responses I did read on that page).

It's an incomplete sentence so I don't know what the writer was really trying to convey but I assume they meant something like "They can use many nice words but there are none that can describe ..."

This shows some non-natives tend to use any instead of none, which is the correct one.

Thank you.