as dead as a doorknob

== English == === Etymology === Possibly from a misinterpretation or misunderstanding of the expression dead as a doornail. See usage notes below. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === dead as a doorknob (simile) Entirely, unquestionably or certainly dead. ==== Usage notes ==== Many other nouns can be substituted for doorknob, perhaps the oldest and original being doornail used by William Shakespeare, in Henry VI, Part 2, act 4, scene 10; and also by Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol. Others include doormat, dodo, herring, kipper, mackerel, rock, and graveyard. ==== Translations ====