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For this to work, the two horses would have to look very similar to each other. At the time, "dead" was often used to describe something exact or precise hence the phrase, "dead center" so a "dead ringer" was a substitute that looked exactly as the original horse, which is why the phrase is now used to describe someone or something who looks the exact same as someone or something else.
As for "saved by the bell," the phrase has nothing to do with coffins but has everything to do with boxing.
The phrase originated in the late s, and first was used to describe losing boxers who were saved from defeat by the sound of the bell that had signified the end of the round. One of the earliest references comes from a February, edition of the Fitchburg Daily Sentinel , that reads, "Martin Flaherty defeated Bobby Burns in 32 rounds by a complete knockout.
Half a dozen times Flaherty was saved by the bell in the earlier rounds. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night the "graveyard shift" to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer. We have debunked the saved by the bell and dead ringer myths previously, so now let's take a look at 'graveyard shift'. Given that the derivation of the phrases 'saved by the bell' and 'dead ringer' had nothing whatever to do with burials or graveyards, it might be thought that 'graveyard shift' could be dismissed without further investigation.
That may be a little hasty. Those phrases may have had nothing to do with bells being attached to coffins to guard against premature burial, but such devices did exist and were occasionally used. Save This Word! See synonyms for graveyard shift on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Also called graveyard watch , lobster shift. Origin of graveyard shift An Americanism dating back to — Words nearby graveyard shift gravestone , Gravettian , grave-wax , graveyard , graveyard orbit , graveyard shift , graveyard slot , graveyard stew , graveyard watch , gravicembalo , gravid. Words related to graveyard shift anchor watch , dogwatch , graveyard watch , lobster shift , swing shift.
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