The loss of Georgia would sound the death knell of Republican hopes.knellknell /nel/ noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINknell
Origin:
Old English cnyllCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The loss of Georgia would sound the death knell of Republican hopes.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSVERB
literary the sound of a bell being rung slowly because someone has died → death knell The loss of Georgia would sound the death knell of Republican hopes.· This would, in effect, finally sound the death knell for the Convention.· Energy analyst Walt Patterson believes this would sound the death knell for research.