Meanings
nounfeet of clay pl (plural only)
- idiomaticpluralplural onlyIn someone apparently strong and without failings, a hidden weakness which could lead to downfall.
He was disillusioned to find that even Lincoln had feet of clay.
2 more examples
Those Pagod things of sabre-sway, / With fronts of brass, and feet of clay.
1814, Lord Byron, Ode to Napoleon BuonaparteOh yes, man is a fool / And he thinks he'll be okay / Dragging on, feet of clay
1980, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, “Happy New Year”, in Super Trouper, performed by Abba
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
Used in the Bible, part of the description of the huge statue in the dream of Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek πόδες ὀστράκινοι
- πόδες ὀστράκινοι (pódes ostrákinoi)a hidden weak point
Chinese Mandarin 泥足巨人
- 泥足巨人 (nízújùrén)a hidden weak point
Danish lerfødder
- lerføddera hidden weak point
Finnish savijalat
- savijalata hidden weak point
French pieds d'argile
- pieds d'argilea hidden weak point
German tönerne Füße
- tönerne Füßea hidden weak point
Latin pedes fictiles
- pedes fictilesa hidden weak point
Norwegian Bokmål leirføtter
- leirføttera hidden weak point
Russian гли́няные но́ги
- гли́няные но́ги (glínjanyje nógi)a hidden weak point
Spanish pies de barro
- pies de barroa hidden weak point
Ukrainian гли́няні но́ги
- гли́няні но́ги (hlýnjani nóhy)a hidden weak point
Cite this entry
APA
feet of clay. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feet%20of%20clay
MLA
“feet of clay.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feet%20of%20clay. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “feet of clay,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/feet%20of%20clay.
Source: feet of clay on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.