to be caught dead
15
8.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
ni en sueños
- My sister refuses to try sushi; she wouldn't be caught dead eating it.
- I would never be caught dead
- be caught dead wearing
- be caught dead in black
First of all, I wouldn't be caught dead with a selfie with Jesse Watters.
- First of all, I wouldn't be caught dead with a selfie with Jesse Watters.
- So the guy who wouldn't be caught dead doing yoga, now he's got his name attached to it.
Examples
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I wouldn't be caught dead in that house.
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I wouldn't be caught dead in a full skirt.
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Somewhere that no one in their right mind would be caught dead in!
-
You know, she always said you would never be caught dead in a place like this!
Blog text (6) -
My older students, however, would not be caught dead holding hands and making a circle.
Academic text (2009) -
Wouldn't be caught dead in some country garden.
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I know I wouldn't be caught dead wearing that crazy eight.
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I wouldn't be caught dead with you at his memorial service.
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I will not be caught dead in striped pants.
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Your sister wouldn't be caught dead in a dump like that.
Synonyms
15
8.8
Not wanting people to see you doing or wearing something embarrassing
1
6.7
To never do something, no matter what happens
1
9.1
Refuse to do something because they think it is embarrassing
Refuse to go to or be seen at something because it is embarrassing
A strong way to say you refuse or do not believe something
Antonyms
How Willing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is an idiomatic, hyperbolic passive where the literal meanings of 'be', 'catch', and 'dead' do not compose to yield 'to never do something'; a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer the pragmatic sense of emphatic refusal or strong dislike. The construction is culturally specific and metaphorical (you would not even be found doing it), so its overall meaning is not predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Be caught dead comes from a sharp picture: imagine someone saying they would rather be caught only if they were dead than be seen doing something embarrassing. So it means 'to never do something' or to refuse to be seen doing it.