Phrase guide

feet of clay

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

In someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, plural, plural-only

Examples

  • He was disillusioned to find that even Lincoln had feet of clay.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Used in the Bible, part of the description of the huge statue in the dream of Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar.

Across languages

Translations

11 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 泥足巨人 (nízújùrén) — a hidden weak point
  • Danish: lerfødder — a hidden weak point
  • Finnish: savijalat — a hidden weak point
  • French: pieds d'argile — a hidden weak point
  • German: tönerne Füße — a hidden weak point
  • Ancient Greek: πόδες ὀστράκινοι (pódes ostrákinoi) — a hidden weak point
  • Latin: pedes fictiles — a hidden weak point
  • Norwegian Bokmål: leirføtter — a hidden weak point
  • Russian: гли́няные но́ги (glínjanyje nógi) — a hidden weak point
  • Spanish: pies de barro — a hidden weak point
  • Ukrainian: гли́няні но́ги (hlýnjani nóhy) — a hidden weak point