go the way of the dodo

Definition

To go extinct or become obsolete or defunct; to fall out of common practice or use; to become a thing of the past.

Etymology

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which is believed to have become extinct in the 17th century due to human activity.

Example Sentences

• "Now that word-processing has caught on, typewriters have gone the way of the dodo."
• "The Polynesian population, for instance, is on the wane—wearing out—as the Red Man is—as the whale is,—going the way of the dodo, and so many other things."
• "It is long since that disorderly potentate [the Lord of Misrule] went the way of the Dodo, and hippocras has become almost as mythical as ambrosia; but, once upon a time, they played a prominent part in legal education."