The ventilation of dead ends — always a serious problem — has in some mines been an absolute necessity. At the Oriental Consols Gold Mine a crosscut at a depth of 2,600 ft. has been continued to over 1,400 ft. from the shaft, and at the No. 2 South Great Eastern Gold Mine crosscutting and driving has been carried on at depths of 1,750 ft. and 2,000 ft. In order to ventilate these dead ends blowers have been used to force air into the faces through lines of pipes.1912 Queensland Annual Report of the Under Secretary for Mines for 1911. Brisbane, Australia. p.167
3
Figuratively A position that offers no hope of change or progress.
Her father suggested that she decline the job because it was a dead end.
4
A split end in the hair.
Cut the ends of the hair once a month certain — no matter if you do cut but just the tips of a fourth of an inch, cut it. Cut off the dead ends every month as regularly as the new moon comes round.1890, The Young Lady's Private Counselor, page 208:
[...] as it approached Platform 9 at Moorgate, the train, which ought to have been going at 15 miles an hour, was travelling at 35 m.p.h., and apparently accelerating. It smashed into the head wall of the 60-foot dead-end tunnel because, as we have seen, the Metropolitan's plans to extend the line south had come to nothing.2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 124:
Watch out! The road dead-ends in 200 yards and there's nowhere to turn around!
2
Broadly To come to nothing; to reach a hopeless situation.
Dumas' tangle of unrequited, misplaced and dead-ended love1986 February 1, Michael Bronski, “Mock Homage to Fassbinder's Life & Films”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 28, page 6:
dead-end
noun
1
A road with no exit.
We turned into the street and realised it was a dead-end.
2
Broadly, Figuratively A position that offers no hope of progress.
Mary realised her relationship with Jim had hit a dead-end.