ALIVE AND KICKING

The word may be DEAD, but it's very much alive in these expressions:

1. A tie

2. A lock

3. The middle of the middle

4. He's gonna get it

5. Cul-de-sac

6. Return empty, as in a truck

7. A tramp

8. Date or time when something has to be done

9. An impasse

10. Being funny with a straight face

11. Very determined

12. Like a sack of cement

Answers:

1. Dead heat

2. Deadbolt

3. Dead center

4. Dead duck

5. Dead end

6. Deadhead

7. Deadbeat

8. Deadline

9. Deadlock

10. Deadpan

11. Dead set

12. Dead weight