die a thousand deaths

Meaning: (rhetorical)Todiemany times over (usually as preferred over some other undesirable action or occurrence).1594,Christopher Marlow[e],The Troublesome Raigne and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England:[…], London:[…][Eliot’s Court Press]for Henry Bell,[…], published1622,→OCLC,(please specify the page):Mor[timer]iu[nior]. Crie quittance Madam then, & loue not him. /Qu[een]. No, rather will Idie a thousand deaths, / And yet I loue in vaine, heele nere loue me.c.1601–1602(date written),William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard, andEd[ward]Blount, published1623,→OCLC,[Act V, scene i]:And I, most jocund, apt and willingly, / To do you rest,a thousand deaths would die.1764December 24 (indicated as1765), Onuphrio Muralto, translated by William Marshal [pseudonyms;Horace Walpole], chapter IV, inThe Castle of Otranto,[…], London:[…]Tho[mas]Lownds[…],→OCLC,page150:[T]ruſt me, believe me, I willdie a thouſand deathsſooner than conſent to injure you,[…]; (idiomatic)Tosufferrepeatedly(oftenmentallyrather thanphysically); to suffer extremeembarrassmentoranxiety.1735, Sophia, “A Letter from a Nun in Portugal, to a Gentleman in France”, inAlexander Pope,Mr Pope’s Literary Correspondence, volume III, London:[…]E[dmund]Curll,[…],→OCLC,page89:[S]ince I knovv no greater Pleaſure than the Love of you, I ſhould too vvillingly run the Riſque of any Diſadvantage that could happen by it. Idie a thouſand Deathsevery Hour, and ſtill revive, to die them over again: Adieu.1884,Tamenaga Shunsui, chapter 12, in Edward Greey, Shiuichiro Saito, transl.,The Loyal Ronins‎[1], New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, page81:[H]is enormous wealth yielded him no happiness, his suspicious soul feared a traitoress in each of his beautiful attendants, he trusted no one but his chief-councillor, Sir Small-grove, and while waiting for the just retribution he knew must sooner or later follow his crime,died a thousand deaths.1961,Dominic Behan, chapter 8, inTell Dublin I Miss Her‎[2], New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, page79:As she looked in the mirror over the fireplace that she might settle her hat-pin straight, she noticed that in touching the china dog she had disturbed the mantle cloth, and in so doing had exposed her hoard of pawn-tickets. Thanks be to God I noticed that, had anyone come in I’d havedied a thousand deaths.2019, “Same Old Story” (track 6), inIgnorance Is Bliss, performed bySkepta:Died a thousand deaths/ Man, I wore so much Ed Hardy, how could I forget? / That love kills slowly

Examples:

EN: I'd rather die a thousand deaths than do that to them.
ES: Preferiría morir cien veces antes que entregarlos.
EN: Yeah, but during those couple of minutes, I'll die a thousand deaths.
ES: En un par de minutos habré muerto mil muertes.
EN: I didn't add, of course... that I would die a thousand deaths before I would let creatures like that so much as set foot in castle ornstein.
ES: No añadí, por supuesto, que antes me moriría mil veces que dejar a criaturas así poner los pies en el castillo Ornstein.
EN: I'd rather die a thousand deaths than endure this suffering.
ES: Preferia 100 veces la muerte a un suplicio tan horroroso.
EN: Oh, I'd rather die a thousand deaths than endure this suffering.
ES: Óh, preferiría cien veces la muerte a un suplicio tan horroroso.
EN: "Better to die a thousand deaths than submit to live under you "and your negro allies."
ES: "Mejor morir mil muertes que someterse a vivir bajo ustedes y sus aliados negros".
EN: "but to go and see General Grant, "and I would rather die a thousand deaths."
ES: "que ir a ver al General Grant, y yo preferiría morir antes mil muertes". (Lee)
EN: With each step you die a thousand deaths.
ES: Con cada paso mueres mil muertes.
EN: I would die a thousand deaths if I could undo what I've done.
ES: Moriría mil veces si pudiera echar marcha atrás.
EN: Raphael would rather have you die a thousand deaths before he dances to her trashy music.
ES: Rafael preferiría que mueras mil veces antes que bailar su música basura.
EN: I would rather die a thousand deaths... than to see my mother's dress on that spoiled, selfish cow!
ES: ¡Mejor me muero mil veces antes de ver a esa vaca malcriada y autosuficiente en el vestido de mi madre!
EN: He is willing to die a thousand deaths
ES: Está dispuesto a morir 100 muertes
EN: Who is it to spend that one day with, you are willing to die a thousand deaths
ES: Quien es la persona... con la que pasarías ese día, por la que estarías dispuesto a morir 100 muertes
EN: Even if I knew, I'd die a thousand deaths before I'd tell you.
ES: Aunque lo supiera, moriré mil veces antes de decírtelo.
EN: In fact as I was listening to you talk, I'd die a thousand deaths than stand up.
ES: De hecho, mientras Io escuchaba, hubiera preferido morirme a tener que pararme a hablar.

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