Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: to have one foot in a grave? tricky idiom

  1. #1
    Увлечённый спикер
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Moscow
    Posts
    69
    Rep Power
    13

    to have one foot in a grave? tricky idiom

    when do they say 'to have one foot in a grave'?

    my teacher(she is from scotland) says we can say that only about old people

    but my dictionary(its longman) says that we can use it both way( about very ill and very old)

    whats the true?

    thanks
    my e-mail: mozhajtseva@yandex.ru
    хочу получить письмо, и все!

  2. #2
    DDT
    DDT is offline
    Завсегдатай DDT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    I have given up the Gambling, the Wine and the Cows!.. I'm in St Petersburg Russia
    Posts
    3,368
    Rep Power
    17
    You can say it about anyone who is old, sick, injured taking a risk or living a risky or dangerous lifestyle.
    Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself. - Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

  3. #3
    Завсегдатай kalinka_vinnie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Sunnyvale, Cali
    Posts
    5,771
    Rep Power
    18
    And about people who have literally one of their feet in someone's grave
    Hei, rett norsken min og du er død.
    I am a notourriouse misspeller. Be easy on me.
    Пожалуйста! Исправляйте мои глупые ошибки (но оставьте умные)!
    Yo hablo español mejor que tú.
    Trusnse kal'rt eturule sikay!!! ))

  4. #4
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    My Time & Space
    Posts
    6,555
    Rep Power
    19
    It's like "Одной ногой в могиле", the same works for Russian.
    «И всё, что сейчас происходит внутре — тоже является частью вселенной».

  5. #5
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    1,607
    Rep Power
    15
    They say I might as well face the truth,
    That I am just too long in the tooth,
    Oh, I’m an OAP and with needs,
    But I have not yet quite gone to seed
    I may be over the hill now that I have retired,
    Fading away but I’m not yet expired,
    Clapped out, run down, too old to save,
    One foot in the grave
    One foot in the grave
    Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask

  6. #6
    Увлечённый спикер
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Moscow
    Posts
    69
    Rep Power
    13
    thanks everybody
    my e-mail: mozhajtseva@yandex.ru
    хочу получить письмо, и все!

  7. #7
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Seventh
    Posts
    4,113
    Rep Power
    18
    Quote Originally Posted by VendingMachine
    They say I might as well face the truth,
    That I am just too long in the tooth,
    Oh, I’m an OAP and with needs,
    But I have not yet quite gone to seed
    I may be over the hill now that I have retired,
    Fading away but I’m not yet expired,
    Clapped out, run down, too old to save,
    One foot in the grave
    One foot in the grave
    VendingMachine, you are so British.
    Ingenting kan stoppa mig
    In Post-Soviet Russia internet porn downloads YOU!

  8. #8
    Старший оракул
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    c:\earth\usa\minnesota
    Posts
    819
    Rep Power
    13
    Is "to have one foot in the grave" the same as "дышать на ладан"?

  9. #9
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    My Time & Space
    Posts
    6,555
    Rep Power
    19
    Perfectly matching.
    «И всё, что сейчас происходит внутре — тоже является частью вселенной».

  10. #10
    Завсегдатай
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Posts
    1,607
    Rep Power
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by saibot
    Is "to have one foot in the grave" the same as "дышать на ладан"?
    Yes, but we have an even closer idiom: одной ногой на том свете.
    Show yourself - destroy our fears - release your mask

Similar Threads

  1. Idiom, or...
    By Sargarosa in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: August 25th, 2009, 07:42 PM
  2. Tricky Double-Entendres
    By Winifred in forum Translate This!
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: August 13th, 2007, 01:13 PM
  3. Pooty-Poot opens mouth, inserts foot?
    By Бармалей in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: October 21st, 2006, 06:57 PM
  4. Tricky English Language
    By saibot in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 30
    Last Post: January 26th, 2006, 04:40 AM
  5. old tricky
    By Biancca in forum Grammar and Vocabulary
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: June 15th, 2005, 05:51 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  


Russian Lessons                           

Russian Tests and Quizzes            

Russian Vocabulary