Origin of Phrases - D
Dead Ringer
Meaning: To look like someone else.
Example: She told me I was dead ringer for Dilbert. Is that good?
Origin: The definition of ringer, from which this phrase comes, is "substituted racehorse."
The word "ringer" dates back to 1890 and was originally horse-racing slang for a horse with a proven track record that was knowingly substituted for a less qualified, untested horse. "Ringer" is now used as slang for anything that has been tampered with or unfairly altered. The "dead" in "dead ringer" is simply an intensifier, meaning "absolutely," and since a "ringer" must resemble the thing it replaces, "dead ringer" has come to mean something indistinguishable from another thing or person.