nicodemused into nothing
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To have one's prospects in life ruined by^ a silly name; according to the proverb, "Give a dog a bad name and hang him." U is from Sterne's Tristram Shandy (vol.
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 “nicodemused into nothing” mean?
To have one's prospects in life ruined by^ a silly name; according to the proverb, "Give a dog a bad name and hang him." U is from Sterne's Tristram Shandy (vol.
Is “nicodemused into nothing” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.