to wouldn't be seen dead
1
9.1
- idiom
- UK
:
no me verían muerto
- Oh, I wouldn't be seen dead in this rag.
They don't have hobbies, most of them outside interests, friends, most of them wouldn't be seen dead going down to the local pub.
- They don't have hobbies, most of them outside interests, friends, most of them wouldn't be seen dead going down to the local pub.
Examples
-
She wouldn't be seen dead wearing that outdated fashion.
-
And look, I'm not the coolest dude in the world, but I wouldn't be seen dead on this train wreck.
-
They don't have hobbies, most of them outside interests, friends, most of them wouldn't be seen dead going down to the local pub.
-
They don't have hobbies, most of them outside interests, friends, but most of them wouldn't be seen dead going down the local pub.
-
He wouldn't be seen dead at a party with that group of people.
-
My brother wouldn't be seen dead driving an old car like that.
Synonyms
15
8.8
Not wanting people to see you doing or wearing something embarrassing
15
8.4
To refuse to do something because you strongly dislike it
Refuse to go to or be seen at something because it is embarrassing
Antonyms
How Willing
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is an idiomatic use where the literal meanings of 'be', 'seen' and 'dead' do not compose to yield the intended sense. The phrase relies on a conventional, metaphorical use of 'dead' as an intensifier and an established construction ('wouldn't be seen dead') meaning 'would never do/associate with', which is not predictably derivable by a B1 learner from the constituent words alone.
Etymology
Wouldn't be seen dead imagines a person who would rather be dead than be seen doing something they find embarrassing or beneath them. So it means 'completely unwilling' to do or be connected with that thing.