dead wood
(US usually deadwood) noun [U]Definition
› people or things that are no longer useful or effective: We think that 76% of all retail money is invested in funds which are effectively dead wood.get rid of/clear out the dead wood If the company is to improve its performance, it needs to take this opportunity to get rid of some of the deadwood.
(Definition of dead wood noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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