1 people, esp. employees, who are no longer useful: --
When she took over the agency, she streamlined the operation by getting rid of a lot of dead wood.
2 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.
We can complete it step by step however long the road is and it can't be completed however short the road is if you don't even mark your footprint.
We kunnen het stap voor stap voltooien, hoe lang de weg ook is en het kan niet worden voltooid, hoe kort de weg ook is, als je niet eens je voetafdruk markeert.