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dead men's shoes

noun

A position or property that is only attainable by someone else upon the current holder's death.

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Meanings

noundead men's shoes pl (plural only)

idiomaticpluralplural onlyA position or property that is only attainable by someone else upon the current holder's death.
Folks come in sometimes when I'm lonely and make jest of it, saying that a creaking gate hangs long, and that it's weary waiting for dead men's shoes.
1897, Joseph Smith Fletcher, God's Failures

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with dead men's shoes

news use choose whose abuse cruise lose blues dos Cruz Hughes refuse excuse reuse dues muse fuse crews misuse Toulouse gus diffuse confuse booze

Cite this entry

APA

dead men's shoes. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20men's%20shoes

MLA

“dead men's shoes.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20men's%20shoes. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dead men's shoes,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dead%20men's%20shoes.

Source: dead men's shoes on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.