Feet of clay

Posted by Victoria Dennis on May 31, 2007

In Reply to: Feet of clay posted by James E. Wicks on May 31, 2007

: What is the meaning of "To have feet of clay"?

It's a Biblical reference, from the Book of Daniel, Chapter 2. Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, has a dream of a magnificent idol with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, a belly of brass, legs of iron, and feet made partly of iron and partly of clay. In his dream, the king sees a stone strike the feet of iron and clay, smashing the idol to pieces until it is dust. For a basic discussion of the meaning of the story, go here: en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Nebuchadnezzar's_statue_vision_in_Daniel_2.
In normal usage, the phrase is used of anything that appears wonderful and impressive, but has a fatal weakness. (VSD)

• Feet of clay ESC 31/May/07
  • Feet of clay ESC 31/May/07