Etymology
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Deadhead (n.)

by 1974 in sense of "devotee of the rock music band the Grateful Dead;" earlier (with lower-case) "one who rides for free on the railroads" (1866), and "non-paying spectator" (1841).

Entries linking to Deadhead

Grateful Dead 
San Francisco rock band, 1965, the name taken, according to founder Jerry Garcia, from a dictionary entry he saw about the folk tale motif of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse's burial, then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person. A different version of the concept is found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead.
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Definitions of Deadhead

deadhead (n.)
a nonenterprising person who is not paying his way;
the deadheads on the payroll should be eased out as fast as possible
deadhead (n.)
a train or bus or taxi traveling empty;
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near Deadhead

dead reckoning

Dead Sea

deadbeat

dead-center

deaden

Deadhead

dead-lift

deadline

deadlock

deadly

dead-march

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper