I am at a dead lift
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In a strait or difficulty where I greatly need help ; a hopeless exigency. A dead lift is the lifting of a dead or inactive body, which must be done by sheer force.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “I am at a dead lift” mean?
In a strait or difficulty where I greatly need help ; a hopeless exigency. A dead lift is the lifting of a dead or inactive body, which must be done by sheer force.
Is “I am at a dead lift” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.