Dust? Yuck.

[Gnisy]

What does the phrase 'another one bites the dust' means?

[andy hughes]

It means another 'one' - be it person, animal, what ever, dies. The inference is that, in falling over dead, the body has its mouth open, and if it falls face first it literally 'bites the dust' - its teeth will come into contact with the ground.

These days its non-literal use is a pretty unsympathetic description of someone or something who / that has just died.

[jno]

originally cowboy talk, I think - 'another redskin bites the dust'. These days I'm not sure you actually have to die; just being knocked down, so you could no longer fight, would probably be enough.