The saying “dead as a herring” means very, very dead.
Any dead fish soon acquires an exceedingly ancient odor if left exposed for only a few hours, but the odor of a dead herring becomes twice as noticeable.
That is the reason herrings are used, by dragging them over a trail, in the teaching of young dogs to follow a scent.
The expression probably started as a variation of “dead as a doornail” back in the sixteenth century. Shakespeare used both.
He put the present one into the mouth of Doctor Caius, in Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, scene 3. Jealous of the curate, Sir Hugh Evans, who also seeks the hand of Mistress Anne Page, Caius threatens to kill him in a duel, which the two parties, assembled in different fields, are not likely to have:
Caius (to his second, Jack Rugby) : Vat is de clock, Jack?
Rugby: ‘Tis past the hour, sir, that Sir Hugh promised to meet. Caius: By gar, he has save his soul, dat he is no come; he has pray his Pible well, dat he is no come: by gar, Jack Rugby, he is dead already, if he be come.
Rugby: He is wise, sir; he knew your worship would kill him if he came.
Caius: By gar, de herring is no dead so as I vill kill him.
Related Posts
-
How did the Expression “Red Herring” Originate, What does it Mean, and Where does it Come From?
A red herring is not a specific type of fish, but refers to any herring that's been smoked. The meat turns red and gives off a pungent odor, sending any but the truest…
-
Where does the expression “dead horse” come from and What does dead horse mean?
Undoubtedly there was once a pathetic story about a poor man who, painfully, saved enough money to make a down payment on a horse that he greatly desired to help him till his…
-
Where Did the Term “Red Herring” Come From and What Does the Expression Mean?
A "red herring" is a false clue leading detectives off the track during a criminal investigation. The term comes from a practice once used to train police dogs. When herring is smoked it…
-
Where did the phrase “to drag a red herring over the track” come from and What does it mean?
Red herring is nothing more than herring that has been cured by smoke, a process that changes the color of the flesh to a reddish hue. The herring is intended to be eaten…
-
How Did the Dead Sea Get Its Name, Where Is It Located, and Why Is the Dead Sea So Salty?
The Dead Sea is really a lake, not a sea, because it is surrounded by land. It is six times as salty as ocean water, and only a few forms of plant and…
-
How did a goat help find the Dead Sea Scrolls and Where did the Dead Sea Scrolls come from?
In the spring of 1947 a Bedouin boy known as Muhammed the Wolf was herding his goats on the western shore of the Dead Sea near the desolate ravine the Arabs call Qumran.…
