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Episode 11

On its Last Legs

Episode Available 7/7

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Expanding Lexicon

Episode 11

Last Legs

May 25, 2019

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Welcome to Expanding Lexicon the story behind the things we say. Today’s episode is about an idiom. What is today’s topic? On its last legs.

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This idiom can refer to a person, object or animal (idioms online).  The idiom usually refers to something that is nearing breakdown or on the verge of collapse (Bloomsbury international). The definition from ‘The Cambridge English Dictionary’ is “A person who is on their last legs is very tired or near death” (Cambridge English Dictionary). Example: There was a mile left in the hike but I was on my last legs and decided to turn around.

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The first use of last legs was in the early 17th century. Thomas Middleton and Phillip Massinger wrote the play “The Old Law.” In it Eugenia states “My husband goes upon his last hour now—on his last legs, I am sure (English Language & Usage Stack Exchange).” In John Ray’s collection of adverbs published in 1678 he wrote that the idiom last legs was used as a metaphor for bankruptcy (Svinyard118).

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For most of the 1700’s the phrase was used as a metaphor for being at the end of one’s endurance physical or emotional (Svinyard118). In the 1800’s the term evolved to reference beasts of burden who were old or overworked and could no longer perform their duties (idioms_admin). In the 1860’s the sailing terms for ‘legs’ of a journey was used (Svinyard118). In the 1900’s last legs began to be used to discuss objects and machines The free dictionary breaks the idiom into 2 meanings “1. slang Of a machine, near a complete breakdown or loss of functionality...2. slang Of a person, near physical collapse or death. (The Free Dictionary). “since then it has been transferred to anything nearing its end or about to fail, as in, “This cliché may be on its last legs (English Language & Usage Stack Exchange).”

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Last Legs is considered a confusing idiom as it is neither figurative nor literal. The term does not mean that you have multiple legs that you use up until you are on your final pair (Svinyard118). Instead the phrase is a metonym meaning the expression is used instead of something else that is similar to it (English Oxford Dictionary). In this case last legs is used instead of life, spirit, usability, or vitality (Svinyard118). You could be nearing the end of your life or you could be on your last legs. Both mean essentially the same thing.

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The term has had a long life span and is still used regularly today. A May 2019 news article in the UK publication ‘The Independent’ stated the following about Brexit “Although both parties seem reluctant to put the process out of its misery, it is surely on its last legs (@indyvoices).”

This phrase has been use to describe the decline of humanity, finances, animals, object and nowadays can reference almost anything.

                          

I hope you enjoyed today’s topic. Please follow the show on Instagram at expanding lexicon. The show is posted on google podcasts and Spotify, please subscribe! Check the website for the show notes and bibliography at www.expandinglexicon.wixsite.com/podcast. Feel free to leave comments, stories, or episode suggestions or just say hi.

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Until next week stay off your last legs!

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Works Cited

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© 2019 Maggie Horvath. Proudly created with Wix.com

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