Where did the saying, "drop-dead gorgeous" come from?

Answer 1

Here's an article:

Drop-dead Gorgeous

Meaning: Breathtakingly beautiful.

Origin: "Drop-dead gorgeous" seems to have been with us since just 1985. A piece about Michelle Pfeiffer in Time in February of that year says:

pfeiffer"Trim, smart and drop-dead gorgeous, Pfeiffer has been nibbling at stardom since her stints in Grease II and Scarface."

The phrase struck a chord and there are many references to it in newspapers and journals from very soon after that.

It didn't arrive out of the blue though. The term "drop dead", meaning excellent had been around since at least 1962. In the New York Herald-Tribune, Jan. 62, we have:

"Fashions from Florence not drop-dead. For almost the first time in history Simonetta failed to deliver an absolutely drop-dead collection."

It got picked up as an intensifier for various things, as here from the Washington Post, July 1980:

"For drop dead chic food, Harborplace has a sushi and tempura bar."

Of course, "drop dead" has also been used as a term demonstrating dislike for some time. This originated in the US in the 1930s.

Phrases tend to be coined to deal with things that people engage with frequently or consider important. There are hundreds of phrases to do with topics like God, money, sex etc. It's hardly surprising that death scores highly too and that 'dead' is one of the words that appears in many English idioms. Here's a selection that begin with a, b or c - there are many more:

As dead as a dodo
As dead as a doornail
As dead as mutton
At the dead of night
Back from the dead
Better dead than red
Brain dead
Bring out your dead
Chivalry is not dead
Cut out the dead wood

The use of the word dead in English idioms is an example of how difficult a language it is to learn for non-native speakers. That's perhaps what could be expected from a language that has nine different ways to pronounce 'ough':

through - oo
though - o
thought - awt
tough - uff
plough - ow
thorough - uh
cough - off
hiccough - up
lough - ock

Even supposing someone understood the word 'dead' (and there are at least 31 meanings for dead just as an adjective), that doesn't help in understanding idioms. These rely on a knowledge of context that goes beyond the dictionary. For example, how is it that people who are "dead from the neck up" or "dead to the world", can be alive and well? Why is a "dead shot" to be admired when a "dead loss" isn't? Go into an English pub at closing time and you'll be asked, "are those drinks dead"? You might even hear someone claiming to be "in dead earnest".

If you learned your English as a first language, be thankful. If not, and when someone meets you they say "drop-dead gorgeous", don't be offended.

Copyright © Gary Martin, 1996 - 2006

Answer 2

"Drop-dead gorgeous" seems to have been with us since just 1985. A piece about Michelle Pfeiffer in Time in February of that year says:

"Trim, smart and drop-dead gorgeous, Pfeiffer has been nibbling at stardom since her stints in Grease II and Scarface."

The phrase struck a chord and there are many references to it in newspapers and journals from very soon after that.

Answer 3

He's so gorgeous, I could just die! In short, he's drop-dead gorgeous. The Jews have an expression "to die for" The Italians have "bella da Morire" (beautiful to die for" in loose translation)

Somehow, I imagine people all over the world believe that extreme beauty kills. I have killed a few in my day lol

Answer 4

drop dead was and sometimes still used as go away shut up forget it naturally dislike is involved this was it's meaning ever since I was young in the fifties (common expression of strong disdain) how ever combined with Gorgeous must alter it's meaning somewhat as possibly the final word in gorgeous... the ultimate gorgeous and so forth ... so hang yourself already !

Answer 5

When you get older you will understand. There is a song by the rolling stones that says "she makes a grown man cry" When I was young I never got it. When I got older and women didn't turn around to take a second look and the little hottie looks so good and you realize you don't have a chance then you get it.

Answer 6

Well, almost certainly from the idea that someone was so shockingly beautiful they could stop someone's heart.

As to the original pop culture reference (movie, TV show, tagline, etc.), or when it first came into use as a common expression, I don't know. There was a movie of that name made in 1999:

http://www.ddgorgeous.com/

but the expression was already pretty popular by then.

Answer 7

My guess: someone is so gorgeous that gazing upon that person would make one drop dead.

Answer 8

Drop Dead Gorgeous Meaning