feet of clay

feet of clay
"глиняные ноги", т. е. слабость того, кто казался великим (ср. колосс на глиняных ногах) [этим. библ. Daniel II, 31-33]

‘I don't believe that,’ Prew said. ‘That's not true. You're just tearing yourself down.’ ‘Don't like to discover the feet of clay, do you?’ Jack Malloy smiled painfully. (Jones, ‘From Here to Eternity’, ch. 43) — - Я этому не верю, - сказал Пру. - Ведь это не так. Вы зря поносите себя. - Вам не нравится, что тот, кого вы считали колоссом, стоит на глиняных ногах, не так ли? - И Джек Моллой горько усмехнулся.

It is not surprising that to the rigid classicists of the eighteenth century this Colossus had feet of clay. (L. Strachey, ‘Landmarks in French Literature’, ch. IV) — Не приходится удивляться, что чересчур строгим приверженцам классицизма Мольер казался колоссом на глиняных ногах.


Большой англо-русский фразеологический словарь. - М.: «Русский язык-Медиа».. 2006.

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Смотреть что такое "feet of clay" в других словарях:

  • feet of clay — If someone has feet of clay, they have flaws that make them seem more human and like normal people …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • feet of clay — feet′ of clay′ n. an unexpected weakness or hidden flaw in the character of a greatly admired or respected person • Etymology: 1855–60 …   From formal English to slang

  • feet of clay — ► feet of clay a flaw or weakness in a person otherwise revered. Main Entry: ↑foot …   English terms dictionary

  • feet of clay — Etymology: so called from the feet (partly of iron and partly of clay) of the image in Nebuchadnezzar s dream in Daniel 2:33 1. : a generally concealed or unobserved but marked weakness or frailty in one hitherto idolized for qualities seemingly… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Feet of Clay — infobox Discworld|id=19th novel ndash; 4th City Watch story characters=Ankh Morpork City Watch Havelock Vetinari locations=Ankh Morpork motifs=Cop novels, robots and artificial intelligence year=1996 publisher=Victor Gollancz ISBNH=ISBN 0 575… …   Wikipedia

  • feet of clay —    If someone has feet of clay, they have flaws that make them seem more human and like normal people.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    If someone who is admired is found to have a weakness, fault or defect of character, they are said to… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • feet of clay — {n. phr.} A hidden fault or weakness in a person which is discovered or shown. * /The famous general showed he had feet of clay when he began to drink liquor./ * /The banker seemed to be honest, but he had feet of clay and was arrested for… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • feet of clay — {n. phr.} A hidden fault or weakness in a person which is discovered or shown. * /The famous general showed he had feet of clay when he began to drink liquor./ * /The banker seemed to be honest, but he had feet of clay and was arrested for… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • feet\ of\ clay — n. phr. A hidden fault or weakness in a person which is discovered or shown. The famous general showed he had feet of clay when he began to drink liquor. The banker seemed to be honest, but he had feet of clay and was arrested for stealing …   Словарь американских идиом

  • feet of clay — if you say that someone you admire has feet of clay, you mean they have hidden faults. Some of the greatest geniuses in history had feet of clay …   New idioms dictionary

  • feet of clay — 1. 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. 2. any unexpected or critical fault. [1855 60] * * * …   Universalium


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