Knock Them Dead

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Meaning:

Knock Them Dead is a phrase used as a way to impress people, like if you are going to a job interview, or you are going live for a stand-up show, or other events where you are trying to impress people, you would use the phrase knock them dead.

“Knock’em Dead, kid”

Origin:

The phrase came into use in the 1890s in American vaudeville. Vaudeville is a type of live variety entertainment that featured a mixture of specialty acts such as burlesque, comedy, and song and dance and was popular until the introduction of the motion picture.

Originally, the term knock them dead or knock ’em dead was used to wish a performer luck specifically a comedian. It seems that the relationship between a performer and his audience is often seen as combative, hence the use of terms such as knock them dead or knock ’em dead, slay them, or kill them, all referring to the audience. It quickly swapped to mean Impress the audience, due to the relationship that a live show has with the audience.

Example:

We still use this saying to tell people to “be great” and “impress your audience.” An example sentence is:

“You look fabulous — you’ll knock ’em dead tonight.”

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