a person or thing that closely resembles another; ringer:
That old car is a dead ringer for the one we used to own.
Origin
1890-95
Slang definitions & phrases for dead ringer
dead ringer
noun phrase
An exact duplicate, esp a person who is the double of another: He was such a dead ringer for my ex-boss
[1891+; fr dead, ''precise, exact,'' and ring in, ''substitute, esp fraudulently,'' an early 19th-century slang term for gambling]
Idioms and Phrases with dead ringer
dead ringer
A person or thing that closely resembles another; an exact counterpart. For example, Brian's a dead ringer for his Dad, or That red bike is a dead ringer for Mary's. [ Late 1800s ]