2007-12-15 14:21:16 · 2 answers · asked by jacksparrow 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
A few definitions going back as far as 1350. Door nails were large headed nails used in medieval times for security reasons. Once driven through, they were bent over on the other side. Since they could not be used again, they were considered "dead". Shakespeare made reference to them in Henry IV (1590) also.
2007-12-15 14:36:25 · answer #1 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Back when they first figured out how to make nails, they were kind of expensive, and thus valuable. Too keep people from pulling them out and stealing them, they would bend them over so they wouldn't be useful to the theives, thus, "dead as a doornail."
Not the most technical of explanations, but what can I say? I'm not a very technical kind of gal.
2007-12-15 16:09:33 · answer #2 · answered by Ista 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋