English · Idiom Historical

achilles' heel

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

See ACHILLES. Heel 448 Helios Down, or out at heels. In a sad plight, in decayed circumstances, like a beggar whose boots are worn out at the heels.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Examples

Everyone has an Achilles' heel.Ai trong chúng ta cũng có gót chân A-sin.

Tatoeba sentence #13613122 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)

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.

Topics: Legs Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “achilles' heel” mean?

See ACHILLES. Heel 448 Helios Down, or out at heels. In a sad plight, in decayed circumstances, like a beggar whose boots are worn out at the heels.

Is “achilles' heel” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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