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Readers' question: What does the phrase "the final nail in the coffin" mean? My comments:
“The final nail in the coffin” is a vivid metaphor commonly used and useful to master in our path towards greater English language proficiency. To begin just think of what actually is a coffin and what it represents, i.e. death or the container that is holding someone who is dead. In this instance the final nail in the coffin would signify that the deceased person is definitely now ready to be buried and put away – there is no more hope for resuscitation or the return to life. From here it is just 6 foot under – to be buried underground with the worms. Now we all want to live as long as possible and even right up to the last moment we try to resist the onset of death. So what comes with this phrase is the idea or suggestion that there is some resistance or struggle involved in the death process. So with this phrase the final nail in the coffin Cambridge Online Dictionary define it as, “an event which causes the failure of something that had already started to fail.” As we can see here it’s the final act or blow in what has already been a downward trend. Two examples we could use, “It was the final nail in the coffin when the department head refused to meet him.” Or alternatively, “The growth of online services and the advertising market’s contraction combined to act as the final nail in the coffin for the industry.” Well readers according to many schools of thought, life and death are two sides of the same coin so let’s not get too overwhelmed with coffins here. And as autumn approaches it too represents the nail in the coffin for this year’s rather exhausting record-breaking summer. And that is reason for mirth. Related stories: 本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。以上討論問題來自翻吧（translate.chinadaily.com.cn） |
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| About the author: |
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About the author: Brendan has taught at universities, high schools and primary schools in Japan,the UK, Australia and China. He is a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor and has extensive experience with International English Language Examinations. In the field of writing Brendan has been published in The Bangkok Post, The Taipei Times, Inflight magazines and the Asia News Network. He can be contacted at brendanjohnworrell@hotmail.com. |
本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和
發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。
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