Dead Slow

[laskeyk]

What is the origin of the term 'dead slow' ?

[Aschenbach]

Dead things aren't very quick so it's descriptive an unlikely to originate from anything particular. Generally, 'dead' can be used as an intensifier to mean 'absolutely' or 'altogether'. Maybe there is a morbid reason why this is used?

[Quizmonster]

The earliest recorded use of the phrase dates back to the 1500s and refers to grief moving with "dead-slow pace". Until relatively recently, funerals moved slowly from the home of the deceased to the burial-place, as few people had cars and relatives and friends would simply walk behind the hearse. I would guess, therefore, that "dead slow" was originally a reference to the speed at which a funeral cortege travelled.