feet of clay

noun

Etymology

Used in the Bible, part of the description of the huge statue in the dream of Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar.

Definitions

  1. In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to…

    In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.

    • He was disillusioned to find that even Lincoln had feet of clay.
    • Those Pagod things of sabre-sway, / With fronts of brass, and feet of clay.
    • Oh yes, man is a fool / And he thinks he'll be okay / Dragging on, feet of clay

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for feet of clay. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA