on one's last legs en · ADP
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) About to die.
[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: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 Moon:
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(broadly, idiomatic) About to lose viability or become defunct.
[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:My computer's on its last legs; it crashes running Minesweeper.
Relateds
not have a leg to stand on · have seen one's last gum tree
Translations (44)
hu a végét járja (about to die) · cmn 奄奄一息 (about to die) · it alla frutta (about to die) · es en las últimas (about to die) · az son nəfəsini çəkmək (about to die) · sh на издисају (about to die) · nn synge sin svanesang (about to die) · de in den letzten Zügen (about to die) · hu az utolsókat rúgja (about to die) · fr à bout de souffle (about to die) · nb synge sin svanesang (about to die) · es con la candela en la mano (about to die) · pt estar com os pés para a cova (about to die) · az vot-votda olmaq (about to die) · it in ginocchio (about to die) · nb synge på siste vers (about to die) · nl op je tandvlees lopen (about to die) · sh na kraju snaga (about to die) · it alla fine (about to die) · it in fin di vita (about to die) · pt mais para lá do que para cá (about to die) · cs v posledním tažení (about to die) · nl op sterven na dood (about to die) · sv sjunga på sista versen (about to die) · sh na izdisaju (about to die) · ru на после́днем издыха́нии (about to die) · de aus dem letzten Loch pfeifen (about to die) · nan-hbl 奄奄一息 (about to die) · pt nas últimas (about to die) · fr au bout du rouleau (about to die) · sh на крају снага (about to die) · es acabársele la candela (about to die) · nn synge på siste vers (about to die) · it allo stremo delle forze (about to die) · az bir ayağı burda, bir ayağı gorda (about to die) · my ယဲ့ယဲ့ (about to die) · it agli sgoccioli (about to die) · yue 奄奄一息 (about to die) · az qulağının dibi saralmaq (about to die) · fi vedellä viimeisiään (about to die) · de bald alle sein (about to die) · az son günlərini yaşamaq (about to die) · pl na ostatnich nogach (about to die) · fi haudan partaalla (about to die)