keel over

Meaning

1. Of a vessel: to roll so far on its side that it cannot recover; to capsize or turn turtle.
2. To collapse in a faint; to black out, to swoon.
3. To die.

Etymology / origin

The original nautical meaning (sense 1) refers to a vessel rolling to the extent that its keel (“a large beam along the underside of the vessel’s hull from bow to stern”) is visible.

Sources

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