Noun
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dead, men.
(nautical) The ends of reefs left flapping instead of being tucked out of sight when a sail has been furled.
(informal, US) The gills of edible crabs.
Synonyms: dead men's fingers, devil's fingers
From too much love of living, From hope and fear set free, We thank with brief thanksgiving Whatever gods may be That no man lives forever, That dead men rise up never; That even the weariest river Winds somewhere safe to sea. Algernon Charles Swinburne
One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team. The first requisite is life, always. Aiden Wilson Tozer
I worshipped dead men for their strength, forgetting I was strong. Vita Sackville-West
Dead men tell no tales. Portuguese Proverb
Dead men do not bite. Latin Proverb
Dead men have no friends. Spanish Proverb