beyond repair
Things of wood, stone and metal that appear to have reached the end of their useful life, either obviously broken or simply worn out through use. A noble death or an ignoble ending? Either way, their time has come and gone.
down in the dumps
The ultimate dump. Not broken or burnt out. Not abandoned with a vague hope of rescue. Dumped. The sort of item that might give you cause to pause, even when armed with an extra-long barge pole.
lost and found
There’s something about certain deaths which, in that first instant of an encounter, whisper, ‘Come on, take me home with you…’ They’re not usually broken nor dumped but rather abandoned, possibly out-grown (they are often toys), offering a sliver of hope, the possibility of being taken up again and loved.
tech wreck
A testament to our society’s apparently insatiable appetite for electrical goods that inevitably, invariably break down. Otherwise known as built-in obsolescence.
what the...?
Self-explanatory really. The sort of death which prompts the slightly bewildered response of ‘What the…?’ – possibly quickly followed by ‘Why?’, ‘Who?’, ‘When?’ and even ‘How….?’. Not your everyday dump.