one foot in the grave, have

Idioms

Be close to death or in terrible condition, as in Jane looks as though she has one foot in the grave. This picturesque hyperbolic phrase was first recorded in 1566.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One foot in the grave, have I?

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023