deep six
To discard, get rid of, or cancel; to completely put an end to something.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“We decided to deep six the old project.”
“The manager told us to deep six the marketing plan because it was too expensive.”
“The director had to deep six the final scene of the movie because the lead actor refused to perform the dangerous stunt.”
“After the board reviewed the failing quarterly results, they voted to deep six the entire initiative to save the company.”
first recorded 20th c. disputed origin
Attested as a noun by 1929, the term likely originates from the nautical cry "by the deep six," used when a sounding line recorded a depth of six fathoms. At thirty-six feet, the water was considered sufficiently deep to ensure that anything thrown overboard would remain unrecoverable. The transition to a verb, signifying the act of discarding or destroying something, is recorded from the 1950s.
A secondary, though unproven, theory suggests the phrase may refer to the traditional six-foot depth of a grave. Whether the destination is the seabed or the cemetery, the distance remains the same: six units of measurement intended to keep the contents from resurfacing.
- 01
deep cut
An obscure song by a well known musician.
- 02
deep dive
An in-depth examination or analysis of a topic.
- 03
deep down
Fundamentally; in essence; in reality
- 04
deep pockets
An ample supply of money, especially money which one is willing to spend; the possessor of such money.
- 05
deep thinker
A person whose thoughts are profound; an intellectual.
- 06
deep water
A difficult or embarrassing situation.
- 07
dig deep
To make a lot of effort with all one's resources.
- 08
hit someone for six
To affect in a devastating way by some unexpected news.
Last updated August 10, 2026