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UK(as) deaf as a (post)
/az ɔː dˈɛf az ɐ pˈəʊst/
/æz ɔːɹ dˈɛf æz ɐ pˈoʊst/(as) deaf as a (post)
[PHRASE]
What is the origin of the idiom "deaf as a post" and when to use it?
The expression 'deaf as a post' is a figurative idiom that originated from the comparison to a post, an inanimate object incapable of auditory perception. This comparison emphasizes the extreme level of deafness being conveyed and is used to describe someone with significant hearing impairment or complete inability to hear. The phrase 'deaf as a post' is considered old-fashioned in its usage and, while still understood by some, is not commonly used in modern everyday conversations.
Examples
1. Despite his friends shouting his name repeatedly, Mark remained oblivious, completely deaf as a post to their calls for attention.
2. He was as deaf as a post and relied on subtitles to follow the dialogue.
3. He was as deaf as a post and relied on subtitles to follow the dialogue.
4. Appetite, by contrast, on the Platonic picture, is "a great crooked jumble of limbs with a short bull neck, a pug nose, dark skin, bloodshot white eyes, companion to wild boasts and indecency, shaggy around the ears, deaf as a post, barely yielding to the horsewhip and the goad combined."
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