dull as dishwater

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Modified from dull as ditchwater (1700s) in the first half of the 1900s, perhaps through mispronunciation.[1]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Adjective

dull as dishwater (not comparable)

  1. (simile) Boring; ordinary; exceedingly dull.
    Synonym: boring as beans
    • 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 6:
      ‘My blessed Public must have a pretty girl’s face. Romance isn’t romance, adventure is as dull as dishwater...to my Public...unless, every so often, a face to sink a thousand ships, or is it saps? shows up.’

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ dull as dishwater”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.