with one foot in the grave
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In a dying state. You have put your foot in it nicely. You have got yourself into a pretty mess. As the famous Irish bull has it, "Every time I open my mouth I put my foot in it.
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 “with one foot in the grave” mean?
In a dying state. You have put your foot in it nicely. You have got yourself into a pretty mess. As the famous Irish bull has it, "Every time I open my mouth I put my foot in it.
Is “with one foot in the grave” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.