first-foot

American  

[furst-foot] / ˈfɜrstˈfʊt /

noun

1. the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.

2. the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.

verb (used without object)

1. to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.

first-foot British  

noun

1. 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

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verb

1. to enter (a house) as first-foot

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• first-footing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of first-foot

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

He thought of a hundred subjects, and with each the idea of his mother's beautiful but most unlucky first-foot was mingled!

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

"I wonder wha will be our first-foot," said Nelly; "I hope it will be a lucky ane."

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

However, it was a prosperous year, and a bleeding first-foot was not afterwards considered bad.

From Folk Lore Superstitious Beliefs in the West of Scotland within This Century by Napier, James

The first-foot stamps the "luck" of the house—the good fortune or the evil fortune of its inmates throughout the year!

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

An unlucky "first-foot" brings misfortune with him or her, but a lucky "first-foot" introduces prosperity.

From The Mysteries of All Nations Rise and Progress of Superstition, Laws Against and Trials of Witches, Ancient and Modern Delusions Together With Strange Customs, Fables, and Tales by Grant, James, archaeologist