kiss of death

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B2

Post

Example

“The celebrity endorsement became the kiss of death for a campaign that wanted to seem independent.”

Dictionary details

Component words

kiss death

Tags

failure
risk

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

at death's door Neutral · CEFR B2

so seriously ill or injured that death seems close

kiss and make up Neutral · CEFR B1

to reconcile and become friendly again after an argument

kiss and tell Neutral · CEFR B2

to reveal private or intimate information that was shared in confidence

kiss of life Neutral · CEFR C1

mouth-to-mouth resuscitation given to revive someone who is not breathing

go up in smoke Neutral · CEFR B2

be completely ruined or fail, leaving nothing of the original plan

pie in the sky Neutral · CEFR B2

an attractive ambition with almost no realistic prospect of being achieved

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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