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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day for July 16, 1999
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dead ringer
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This phrase usually appears with the word "for" as in this example:
"That fellow over there is a dead ringer for my uncle Carl." It
means there is such a strong resemblance that the two people might
almost be twins.
A ringer was originally a counterfeit gold coin. One could tell the
fake by dropping it on a hard surface. If it rang like a bell, it
was fake.
Later, in horse racing, a ringer was a horse of a high class (high
skill) that was secretly substituted for a similar-looking horse in
a lower class race. The ringer could then be bet on by those who
knew of the substitution.
Today "ringer" is also applied to look-alike people. But why are
these ringers dead? That word also appears in the phrases "dead on"
(exactly correct) and "dead center" (exact center), where it adds a
sense of precision and strengthens the whole phrase. The origin of
this usage is unknown.
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