It meant he was a dead pigeon. It was only a question of time, and not very much time at that.
7 seconds sound clip from the Double Indemnity movie soundboard.
You can hear this line at 00:39:36 in the DVD version of the movie.
Quote context
[...]
- Don't mind him. And thanks a lot for the ride. You're awfully sweet.
- Nino?
- Maybe he was a little better than he sounded.
- It meant he was a dead pigeon. It was only a question of time, and not very much time at that.
- We had to be very careful from now on. We couldn't let anybody see us together.
- We couldn't even talk to each other on the telephone. Not from her house or at my office, anyway.
- So she was to be in the market every morning about 11:00, buying stuff.
[...]