dead-end

Origin

dead end

noun
1.
something, as a street or water pipe, that has no exit.
2.
a position that offers no hope of progress; blind alley; cul-de-sac: His theory led him to a dead end.

Origin:
1885–90

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Dead-end is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
to run away hurriedly; flee.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

dead-end

[ded-end]
adjective
1.
terminating in a dead end: a dead-end street.
2.
Also, dead-end·ed. having no possibility for or hope of progress, advancement, etc.: a low-level, dead-end job.
3.
leading a life in the slums: growing up as a tough dead-end kid.
verb (used without object)
4.
to come to a dead end: The road dead-ends at the lake.

Origin:
1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To dead-end
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

dead end
"closed end of a passage," 1886, from dead + end. Figurative use is attested from 1922. As an adj., from 1928; as a verb, from 1921.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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