Kissing the Pope's toe
Preserved but no longer current.
Matthew of West- minster says it was customary formerly to kiss the hand of his Holiness; but that a certain woman, in the 8th century, not only kissed the Pope's hand, but "squeezed it.*' The Church magnate, seeing the danger to which he was exposed, cut off his hand, and was compelled in future to offer his foot. In reality, the Pope's foot (i.e.
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 “Kissing the Pope's toe” mean?
Matthew of West- minster says it was customary formerly to kiss the hand of his Holiness; but that a certain woman, in the 8th century, not only kissed the Pope's hand, but "squeezed it.*' The Church magnate, seeing the danger to which he was exposed, cut off his hand, and was compelled in future to offer his foot. In reality, the Pope's foot (i.e.
Is “Kissing the Pope's toe” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.