Bite the dust

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Meaning

To fall or fail, often dying.

Origin

From ancient Greece, in Homer's 'Iliad' (1200 BCE)-warriors 'bite dust' in death, English by 1750 in a Pope translation. A 1870s cowboy tale uses it for a shootout.

Usage Examples

  • His plan bit the dust after the vote.
  • She bit the dust in that last lap.
  • Bite the dust; game over!

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