Phrase Origin # 22 (This one has 3 possible origins) Dead Ringer Meaning: To look like someone else Origin # 1 Unscrupulous racehorse owners have a fast horse and a slow horse that are nearly identical in appearance. They run the slow horse until the betting odds reach the desired level, then they substitute the ringer who can run much faster. Dead in this case means abrupt or exact, like in Dead Stop or Dead Shot. Origin # 2: Gangsters with contracts on their lives might hire a person who looked similar to them, a ringer, to appear in public places. The lookalike would often be convincing enough to fool the contracted killers. You can guess the part about dead. Origin # 3: Refers to a ringer in the game of horse shoes. A toss with the horse shoe landing around the pin is called a ringer. A ringer usually makes a pinging sound when the shoe strikes the post. To make a perfect pitch whereby the shoe lands in the pit and fully encompasses the post without hitting it is considered a dead ringer. Now, which one of these do think makes the most sense?
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 13:56:17 +0000
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