Have feet of clay idiom meaning

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Have feet of clay idiom meaning

Log In. My Account. Danielle McLeod. Danielle McLeod is a highly qualified secondary English Language Arts Instructor who brings a diverse educational background to her classroom. With degrees in science, English, and literacy, she has worked to create cross-curricular materials to bridge learning gaps and help students focus on effective writing and speech techniques. Currently working as a dual credit technical writing instructor at a Career and Technical Education Center, her curriculum development surrounds student focus on effective communication for future career choices. Idioms are excellent ways to add analogy, allusion, or even symbolism to your speech and writing. They are figurative words and phrases that often relate to a literal meaning but occasionally create confusion due to their origins. Feet of clay is an idiom that is poorly understood and often used incorrectly. It originated as an allusion in a Bible verse with no known literal meaning, confusing anyone unfamiliar with this origin. I explain what feet of clay means below, as well as how it should be used in a modern context.

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Feet of clay is an idiom that refers to a weakness or character flaw , especially in people of prominence and power. An entity with feet of clay may appear powerful and unstoppable, but they cannot support their splendor, and will easily be knocked over. The phrase originates from the Book of Daniel in the Bible. In it, Daniel interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. In that dream, a magnificent statue is seen with a head of gold, but weaker and less valuable metals beneath, until finally having feet of clay mixed with iron. Daniel predicts that the glorious statue shall be smashed by a stone into pieces, like chaff on the threshing floor, and blown to the winds. The image of the expensive statue laid low has resonated as an analogy for seemingly powerful figures with substantial weaknesses.

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Have feet of clay idiom meaning

Have feet of clay formal phrase. Used to describe a situation in which people criticize and blame someone else for a fault, mistake or weakness that they also have themselves. Do you see anything wrong? Submit An Idiom. Subscribe Now.

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ISBN English confusables. English to Traditional. Daniel predicts that the glorious statue shall be smashed by a stone into pieces, like chaff on the threshing floor, and blown to the winds. Word Lists. English—Spanish Spanish—English. Traditional Chinese. My word lists. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. When those idols are found to have feet of clay, the pain of disenchantment can be profound. Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. English—French French—English.

The phrase originated in the Bible. I know it's hard to believe, but anyone you admire surely has feet of clay.

The image of the expensive statue laid low has resonated as an analogy for seemingly powerful figures with substantial weaknesses. The modern use of the term is used to describe a person who, by all appearances, is well-liked and respected but who has poor ethical or moral behaviors that undermine their efforts in the long run. Italian to English. Read more. Tell us about this example sentence:. Browse alphabetically feet of clay. Buon appetito! Collins English Dictionary. Paul Noble Method. Primary School.