Meanings & Origins of Phrases, Sayings and Idioms

[Irie]

Dead Ringer

The definition of ringer, from which this phrase comes, is "substituted racehorse."

Unscrupulous racehorse owners have a fast horse and a slow horse that are nearly identical in appearance. They run the slow horse until the betting odds reached the desired level, then they substitute the ringer, who can run much faster. Dead in this case means abrupt or exact, like in dead stop, or dead shot.

[KittyTyme]

“shed crocodile tears.”

Crocodiles have a reflex that causes their eyes to tear when they open their mouths. This makes it look as though they are crying while devouring their prey. In fact, neither crocodiles nor people who shed “crocodile” tears feel sorry for their actions.