Origine of this proverb/quotation ?
2006-06-23 23:14:15 · 13 answers · asked by d260383 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
Which Country ?
2006-06-23 23:19:30 · update #1
As dead as a dodo
Meaning
Unambiguously and unequivocally dead.
Origin
The dodo was a flightless bird somewhat like a turkey. It was native to Mauritius and the last live specimen was seen in 1681. The extinction of the species is attributed to the introduction of domestic animals to Mauritius. Mind you biologists thought that coelacanths had been extinct for 70 million years until 1938, when fishermen of South Africa were found to have been regularly catching and eating them.
2006-06-23 23:19:06 · answer #1 · answered by jibbers4204 6 · 18⤊ 5⤋
As far as i remember a subtext to the meaning of the proverb about being extinct was that the bird was exceptionally docile and had never encountered human beings before or maybe even any kind of predator and so was killed off in double-quick time due to this 'naivety' ... so if you say something is as dead as a dodo you are not only probably commenting on its extinctness but to the innocent even ignorant behaviour that contributed to its going extinct ...
2006-06-23 23:28:43 · answer #2 · answered by neilcam2001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dodo birds are an exinct species. Thus, the proverb is derived from the Dodo as being completely "dead" and will never return.
2006-06-23 23:19:41 · answer #3 · answered by sassinstyle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically a Dodo is a bird which became extinct many years ago. So if you are said to be "as dead as a Dodo", it means you are gone and aren't coming back!
2006-06-23 23:18:10 · answer #4 · answered by Gillipoos 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A dodo is an extinct bird.
No longer exists, hasn't for a very long time, and never will ever again.
That is about as dead as it gets. :-))
Why not "as dead as the Triceratops" or "as dead as the Tyrannosaurus"? Because "dodo" is shorter, easier to say, and starts with the letter "d," which provides a bit of alliteration. :-))
2006-06-23 23:18:31 · answer #5 · answered by zen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
during the ice-age the dodos collected 3 watermelons then fell off a cliff and they have been dead ever since. hope that helps
2006-06-24 08:47:29 · answer #6 · answered by Dilly the Kid 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I imagine it came from the fact that dodo's became extinct in living memory
2006-06-23 23:17:54 · answer #7 · answered by baroness 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because the dodo is existent i.e dead as a dodo
2006-06-23 23:22:57 · answer #8 · answered by ALAN B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yep, dodo birds vanished as they kept flying into 110 story skyscrapers
2006-06-23 23:29:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
um... i think its from the dodo bird which became extinct from bein hunted
2006-06-23 23:18:20 · answer #10 · answered by greatpanther09 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋