famous last words

Idioms and Phrases

A phrase used to express disbelief, rejection, or self-deprecation. For example, They said we'd get an extra bonus at Christmas—famous last words! or This book is bound to make the best-seller list—famous last words! This expression alludes to grandiose statements about human affairs that prove to be untrue, such as “This is the war to end all wars,” or “We must make the world safe for democracy.” [Late 1930s]

Example Sentences

Then he added: "Famous last words."

From BBC

Thirty-odd millennia into the future, those are still famous last words.

From Los Angeles Times

But he went on: “Famous last words of Ned Rorem, crushed by a truck, gnawed by the pox, stung by wasps, in dire pain: ‘How do I look?’”

From New York Times

Famous last words, but the immediate storm looks to have passed.

From Reuters

So when we talk about assessing the risk levels—I start to get a little dizzy here because I’m always like, what if these are my famous last words—but this is one where it really doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of risk.

From Slate

Related Words

• farewell
• wind-up