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UKthe final nail in the coffin
/ɐ nˈeɪl ɪnðə kˈɒfɪn/
/ɐ nˈeɪl ɪnðə kˈɔfɪn/the final nail in the coffin
[PHRASE]
What is the origin of the idiom "the final nail in the coffin" and when to use it?
The idiom "the final nail in the coffin" has its origins in the act of nailing shut a coffin after a person has died. It refers to the last event or action that seals the outcome and makes it irreversible. The phrase can also be used to describe the point of no return, where there is no possibility of recovery or redemption.
Examples
1. When you can't have kids in for parties, that is kind of their bread and butter, and that's always been their bread and butter, so to lose that during coronavirus, it's really the final nail in the coffin.
2. But the 1622 uprising was the final nail in the coffin of the Virginia Company, which was a failure in every way.
3. The 1960s brought the final nail in the coffin.
4. When the star witness changed her story, it was the final nail in the coffin for the defendant's case.
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