deep-six

verb

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\ ˈdēp-ˈsiks

deep-sixed; deep-sixing; deep-sixes

Definition of deep-six

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to get rid of : discard, eliminate legislators voting to deep-six a government program

2 slang : to throw overboard

deep six

noun

Definition of deep six (Entry 2 of 2)

slang

: a place of disposal or abandonment —used especially in the phrase give it the deep six

Synonyms Did you know? Learn More About deep-six

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Before the introduction of shipboard sonar, water depth was measured by hand with a sounding line. This was generally a rope weighted at one end, with bits of leather called marks tied on at intervals to measure the fathoms. Between the marks, fathoms were estimated by deeps. The leadsman (pronounced LEDZ-mun) lowered the line into the water and called out the depth as the rope passed through his hands: "By the mark twain!" at two fathoms; "By the deep six!" at six fathoms. Perhaps due to an association with "six feet under" (dead and buried), to give something the deep six (or to deep-six it) was to throw it overboard, or, by extension, to discard it. In the mid-20th century, deep-six made landfall; since then it has been used as much by landlubbers as by old salts.