What is the Meaning of the Phrase ‘The Final Nail in the Coffin’?

The final nail in the coffin means something that confirms or seals the failure; Something that ultimately leads to the failure of an already worsening thing.

The ‘coffin’ denotes the demise of a person. The coffins are nailed shut before they are lowered into the grave. The final nail indicates that nothing more needs to be done.

Let’s see an example —

“His performance had been deteriorating continuously for the past 6 months but his behavior before the boss today was the final nail in the coffin. He was fired on the spot.”

It means that the person was on track to being fired for the past 6 months due to his performance issues. But today, his bad behavior with the boss made it official. He was fired immediately.

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Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.