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

• first-footing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of first-foot

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first-foot

Nelly declared that the squinting sailor had been an excellent first-foot.

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

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

"Ye are our first-foot, and I hope—I'm sure ye'll ba a lucky ane; and ye wadna, ye canna be gaun out without tasting wi' us on a New-year's morning."

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

He dwelt upon the effect of the scenery—he quoted passages from his own epic—and he spoke of the time when his fair companion was his mother's first-foot.

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