like death—(U.S. also: like death warmed over) feeling or looking very unwell or completely exhausted:
- Much of the time I feel like death. I am in rather a bad temper.
like grim death—gripping smth. very firmly; clinging to smth. tenaciously:
- By clinging like grim death to the gunwale, we just managed to keep inside the boat, but it was exhausting work.