a king should die standing
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The reputed dying saying of Louis XVIII.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a king should die standing” mean?
The reputed dying saying of Louis XVIII.
Is “a king should die standing” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.