nail in coffin
Seals the fate
A nail in the coffin is something that contributes to the failure, end, or death of something: The scandal was another nail in the coffin of his political career.
The image is of hammering shut a casket—each nail making revival less possible.
Often appears as another nail in the coffin or the final nail in the coffin, suggesting cumulative damage or the decisive blow.
- finalLast and decisive
- final blowDecisive finishing strike
- deathCessation of life
- death knellOmen of ending
- doomUnavoidable grim fate
kiss of death · seal · sealed fate · fate · writing on the wall · ending · point of no return · buried · dead and buried · downfall · demise · blow · fatal · last straw · hammer · lid · funeral · grave
- death idiomsdead end, dead serious, dead wrong, dead tired, dead weight
- doomdoomsday, impending doom, doom and gloom, doomed, sense of doom
- endingsending, the end, finish, close, final
nail in coffinlifeline
Essential connection to safety
shot in the arm · fresh start · new lease on life · new beginning · breakthrough
nail in coffinnew beginning
Chance to start again
clean slate · rebirth · renaissance · resurrection · reopening
nail in coffinkiss of life
Rescue breathing technique
glimmer of hope · light at the end of the tunnel · ray of hope · saving grace · breath of fresh air