dead wood
1
6.5
- noun
- /dɛd wʊd/
- Offensive
:
lastre
- I've rid this company of the dead wood.
Examples
-
Keep on adding new employees, but start ripping out some of the dead wood that's accumulated at the world's most adjective-ridden company.
Blog text (6) -
To improve efficiency, the manager decided to eliminate the dead wood from the team.
-
Actually, that might not be a bad thing; those 20% are probably just dead wood anyway.
Blog text (5) -
I do not have any idea how much dead wood there is among teachers in any given school district across the US.
Blog text (13) -
The dead wood needs to be cleared out.
Blog text (6) -
At long last, the dead wood at the top of the car companies is dying or retiring.
Blog text (19) -
People who are viewed as insufficiently productive are "dead wood."
Academic text (1993) -
First, we sweep the dead wood out of SFMTA and get capable people who can solve parking, traffic, and public transportation in an urban environment.
Blog text (10) -
In a recent meeting, she emphasized the importance of keeping only productive members and removing any dead wood.
-
We need to cut down on dead wood in the organization to boost overall performance.
Synonyms
Antonyms
How Unproductive
Surface Forms
Morphology
dead + wood
The phrase pairs 'dead' (lacking life or activity) with 'wood' (a non-living material) to form a metaphor for things that are inactive or no longer useful. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words could infer a general sense of uselessness, but the specific extension to unproductive people or organizational roles is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Dead wood comes from a simple tree image: dead branches or pieces of wood are dry, do not grow, and are cut away because they do not help the tree. That's why 'dead wood' now means people or things in a company that are 'unproductive' or 'no longer useful'.