how did deader than a doornail originate?

Question

FREQUENTLY SOMEONE REFERS TO SOMETHING AS DEADER THAN A DOORNAIL

Answer 1

There is some debate about it's origin but carpenters when nailing usually hit the nail so hard inside the wood so that it is almost impossible to remove again. This method or technique they used was called clinching- To flatten the ends of nails. The word 'clinch' can be trace back to 1869.

However, further research into language origins indicates that the phrase: 'Deader than a door nail' is an ancient expression dating back to the year 1350, and at that time it referred to a flat nail plate of a door knocker that was often banged so much until it was dead flattened.

Perhaps, the carpenter technique of clinching originated from this. This is just my opinion though.

Answer 2

It is postulated that the expression came from the use of Nails, or metal plates used for knocking on a heavy wood door int he mid to late 1300's. It is also possible that it is the nails that are used to hold decorations to a door that just wont stay in.

If the first, than after repeated pounding, the nail would be of no use, and be "dead" hence the deader than a door nail.

If the later, if the decorations are heavy enough it will pull out the mail, and it wont stay in no matter how much pounding it receives, so again a dead nail.

Answer 3

in all likelihood from William Shakespeare's play Henry VI, Act 4, Sc.10, l.40-one million John Cade: "...and if i do not go away you all as useless as a door-nail, I pray God i ought to by no skill eat grass more suitable." even inspite of the actuality that there is a few information that the word replaced into in use beforehand this time. even as doors were outfitted using purely timber forums and hand solid nails, the nails were lengthy sufficient to useless nail the (vertical) timber panels and (horizontal) stretcher forums securely at the same time, so that they does not actual pull aside. This replaced into executed by skill of pounding the sticking out aspect of the nail over and down into the timber. A nail that replaced into bent in this kind (and to that end not actual pulled out) replaced into suggested to be useless. to that end the expression - useless as a doornail.