Quote Originally Posted by kib View Post
Yeah, that's true I guess there are as many synonyms in Russian as in English.
What you said is incorrect. I think any Russian has never said this word though it makes sens. It means "was dying", but we use "подыхала" in this case. You should say "подохла" или "сдохла" and better you should'n at all - much too rude
[Facepalm] This is why one should be careful about learning grammar from jokes! I'm pretty sure (если память меня не обманывает!) that дохла is a form I heard/read в очень пошлом и не приятном анекдоте, где Дед Мороз объясняает детям про Снегурочку: "Ей не больно, ведь она уж дохла!"

Thus, I assumed that дох/дохла were the normal perfective forms.

But perhaps the ungrammatical дохла was part of the humor, чтобы подчеркнуть невероятную пошлость (англ.: "tackiness") в том, что сказал Дед Мороз? Or maybe I'm remembering the joke incorrectly, and he actually said сдохла...