feet of clay
noun
a weakness or hidden flaw in the character of a greatly admired or respected person: He was disillusioned to find that even Lincoln had feet of clay.
any unexpected or critical fault.
Origin of feet of clay
First recorded in 1855–60
Words nearby feet of clay
feeler gauge,
feeling,
feelings,
feen,
feet,
feet of clay,
feet on the ground,
feetfirst,
feeze,
fef,
fehling's solution
Cultural definitions for feet of clay
feet of clay
People are said to have “feet of clay” if they are revealed to have a weakness or flaw that most people were unaware of: “When the coach was arrested for drunken driving, the students realized that their hero had feet of clay.”
Idioms and Phrases with feet of clay
feet of clay
A failing or weakness in a person's character, as in The media are always looking for a popular idol's feet of clay. This expression comes from the Bible (Daniel 2:31–33), where the prophet interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue with a head of gold and feet of iron clay. [c. 1600]