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deep six
Slang Dictionary

deep six definition


  1. tv.
    to jettison something, including a corpse, from a ship at sea. (Usually deep-six as a verb.) : They deep-sixed the body of the first mate, who had died of the shakes.
  2. n.
    the deep sixburial at sea. (Always with the in this sense.) : I think I'd want the deep six, but I'll probably kick off on dry land.
  3. tv.
    to kill or dispose of someone. (Underworld. Usually deep-six as a verb.) : The thugs tried to deep-six the witness, but failed.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

deep six

  1. Also, give or get the deep six. Burial at sea. For example, When the torpedo hit our boat, I was sure we'd get the deep six. This expression alludes to the customary six-foot depth of most graves. [Early 1900s]

  2. Disposal or rejection of something, as in They gave the new plan the deep six. This usage comes from nautical slang of the 1920s for tossing something overboard (to its watery grave; see def. 1). It was transferred to more general kinds of disposal in the 1940s and gave rise to the verb to deep-six, for "toss overboard" or "discard."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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