foot (have one foot in the grave )一脚已踏进坟墓,命不长了
该短语指某人因病入膏肓或垂垂老矣而濒临死亡。它最先出自罗马皇帝尤里安(Flavius Claudius Julianus,331—363)之口。据称,尤里安如是说:
“I will learn this even if I have one foot in the grave.”
“即便我一只脚已踏进了坟墓,我也要学。”
希腊神话中也有类似的表达:
with one foot in Charon’s ferry-boat
一只脚在卡戎的渡船上
卡戎是冥河上引渡亡魂前往极乐世界的船夫。