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dead wood

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dead⋅wood

  [ded-wood]
Use dead wood in a Sentence
–noun
1. the dead branches on a tree; dead branches or trees.
2. useless or burdensome persons or things: He cut the deadwood from his staff.
3. (in writing) unnecessary words, phrases, or exposition; expendable verbiage.
4. Nautical. a solid construction, serving only as reinforcement, located between the keel of a vessel and the stem or sternpost.
5. Bowling. pins remaining on the alley after having been knocked down by the ball.
6. Cards.
a. Rummy. cards in a hand that have not been included in sets and are usually counted as points against the holder.
b. Poker. cards that have been discarded.
Origin:
1720–30; dead + wood 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dead·wood   (děd'wŏŏd')   
n.  

  1. Dead branches or wood on a tree.

  2. One that is burdensome or superfluous.

  3. also dead wood Sports Fallen bowling pins that remain on the alley.

  4. Nautical The vertical planking between the keel of a vessel and the sternpost, serving as a reinforcement.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
deadwood

  1. n.
    nonproductive or nonfunctional persons. : We'll have to cut costs by getting rid of the deadwood.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

deadwood 
1887 in fig. sense of "useless person or thing," orig. Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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