Meanings
- idiomaticAbout to die.
He is on his last legs. His kidneys are 'most gone. Remember, 'tis I must bury him.
1913, Jack London, chapter 6, in The Valley of the Moon1 more example
[A] friend who assists me with a view to future profit . . . lies like the fox's scent when on his last legs, increasing every moment.
1824, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 6, in St. Ronan's Well - broadlyidiomaticAbout to lose viability or become defunct.
My computer's on its last legs; it crashes running Minesweeper.
1 more example
[T]he wood was main dark, but had a kind of a low glow in it like a fire on its last legs.
1905, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Beach of Falesa”, in Island Nights' Entertainments
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 奄奄一息
- 奄奄一息 (jim¹ jim¹ jat¹ sik¹)about to die
Chinese Mandarin 奄奄一息
- 奄奄一息 (yǎnyǎnyīxī, yānyānyīxí)about to die
Czech v posledním tažení
- v posledním taženíabout to die
Dutch op je tandvlees lopen, op sterven na dood
- op je tandvlees lopenabout to die
- op sterven na doodabout to die
Finnish haudan partaalla, vedellä viimeisiään
- haudan partaallaabout to die
- vedellä viimeisiäänabout to die
French au bout du rouleau, à bout de souffle
- au bout du rouleauabout to die
- à bout de souffleabout to die
German in den letzten Zügen, aus dem letzten Loch pfeifen
- in den letzten Zügenabout to die
- aus dem letzten Loch pfeifenabout to die
- bald alle seinabout to die
Hungarian az utolsókat rúgja, a végét járja
- az utolsókat rúgjaabout to die
- a végét járjaabout to die
Italian agli sgoccioli, alla frutta
- agli sgoccioliabout to die
- alla fruttaabout to die
- alla fineabout to die
- in fin di vitaabout to die
- allo stremo delle forzeabout to die
- in ginocchioabout to die
Norwegian Bokmål synge på siste vers, synge sin svanesang
- synge på siste versabout to die
- synge sin svanesangabout to die
Polish na ostatnich nogach
- na ostatnich nogachabout to die
Portuguese nas últimas, mais para lá do que para cá
- nas últimasabout to die
- mais para lá do que para cáabout to die
- estar com os pés para a covaabout to die
Russian на после́днем издыха́нии
- на после́днем издыха́нии (na poslédnem izdyxánii)about to die
Spanish en las últimas, con la candela en la mano
- en las últimasabout to die
- con la candela en la manoabout to die
- acabársele la candelaabout to die
Swedish sjunga på sista versen
- sjunga på sista versenabout to die
Cite this entry
on one's last legs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20last%20legs
“on one's last legs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20last%20legs. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on one's last legs,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20last%20legs.
Source: on one's last legs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.