first-foot
the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.
the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.
to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.
to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.
Origin of first-foot
1Words Nearby first-foot
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use first-foot in a sentence
The "first-foot," on receiving his bread and cheese, is expected to return a short distance with the child, to show his good will.
The Mysteries of All Nations | James GrantBut our business at present is with the first-foot, and we must hold.
It was evident she had set him down in her mind as an unlucky first-foot.
Does the question of first-foot rest upon the colour of the hair or upon the sex of the person?
Folklore as an Historical Science | George Laurence GommeThe “first-foot” superstition is found in countries as far apart as 324Scotland and Macedonia.
Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan | Clement A. Miles
British Dictionary definitions for first-foot
/ mainly Scot /
the first person to enter a household in the New Year. By Hogmanay tradition a dark-haired man who crosses the threshold at midnight brings good luck
to enter (a house) as first-foot
Derived forms of first-foot
- first-footing, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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