a dead set

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.

A concerted scheme to defraud a person by gaming.--Grose, Slang Dict. This phrase seems to be taken from the lifeless attitude of a pointer in marking his game. We sometimes hear the phrase applied as in the expression, 'He made a dead set at the young lady,' i. e. a determined effort to win her favor.

Related Words