drive a stake through its heart: meaning & examples

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Language: English

Meanings:

  • 1.

    GeneralliteraryarchaicMachine
    • To kill a vampire by piercing its heart with a wooden stake, as in folklore and fiction.

    Examples

    Beta

    • In the vampire legend, the only way to kill the creature was to drive a stake through its heart at midnight.

      According to the vampire myth, the creature could only be killed by piercing its heart with a wooden stake at midnight.

    • The hunters carefully prepared to drive a stake through its heart, knowing this was the only way to end the curse.

      The hunters got ready to pierce the vampire’s heart with a stake, understanding it was the sole method to break the curse.

    • She drove a stake through its heart, ending the undead nightmare that had terrorized the village for months.

      She killed the vampire by piercing its heart with a stake, stopping the terror in the village.

    • The folklore says that driving a stake through its heart will stop a vampire from rising again.

      The tradition states that piercing a vampire’s heart with a stake prevents it from resurrecting.

  • 2.

    GeneralfigurativeinformalMachine
    • To decisively destroy, end, or put an absolute stop to something (an idea, plan, hope, or project).
    • To eliminate the possibility of revival or recovery by taking a conclusive action.

    Examples

    Beta

    • The investor’s harsh report drove a stake through its heart, effectively ending any hopes of the startup’s funding round.

      The critical investor report decisively destroyed the startup’s chance of securing funding.

    • When the CEO announced the project’s cancellation, it drove a stake through its heart after months of development.

      The CEO’s announcement ended the project completely after many months of work.

    • The negative reviews drove a stake through its heart, killing the movie’s chance at box office success.

      The bad reviews decisively ruined the movie’s prospects for financial success.

Examples:

  • EN: Our only chance of saving Miss Mina's life is to find the hiding place of Dracula's living corpse and to drive a stake through its heart.
    ES: La única forma en que podemos salvarle la vida a Mina... es hallar el lugar donde reposa el cadáver viviente de Drácula... y atravesarle el corazón con una estaca.
    ID: Satu-satunya cara untuk menyelamatkan Mina adalah menemukan peti mayat Dracula dan menancapkan kayu pada jantungnya.
  • EN: I don't know whether to congratulate you or drive a stake through its heart.
    ES: No se si felicitarte o clavarle una estaca en el corazón.
  • EN: It's well-known- to kill a vampire... you must drive a stake through its heart or shoot it with a golden bullet.
    ES: Es bien sabido que para matar a un vampiro ... se le debe clavar una estaca en el corazón o disparar con una bala de oro.
  • EN: You need to drive a stake through its heart.
    ES: Necesitas introducir una estaca en su corazón.
  • EN: Our only chance of saving Miss Mina's life is to find the hiding place of Dracula's living corpse and to drive a stake through its heart.
    ES: La única forma en que podemos salvarle la vida a Mina... es hallar el lugar donde reposa el cadáver viviente de Drácula... y atravesarle el corazón con una estaca.
    ID: Satu-satunya cara untuk menyelamatkan Mina adalah menemukan peti mayat Dracula dan menancapkan kayu pada jantungnya.

Related Idioms

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Source: Wiktionary