feet of clay

noun

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.

feet of clay

1. People are said to have “feet of clay” if they are revealed to have a weakness or flaw that most people were unaware of: “When the coach was arrested for drunken driving, the students realized that their hero had feet of clay.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of feet of clay¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Idioms and Phrases

A failing or weakness in a person's character, as in The media are always looking for a popular idol's feet of clay . This expression comes from the Bible (Daniel 2:31–33), where the prophet interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a statue with a head of gold and feet of iron clay. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

The place that looks like an eternal fortress turns out to have feet of clay — and I mean that literally, as you will see.

From Los Angeles Times

It doesn’t appear that Sequoia or the other investors asked the fundamental questions about FTX that would have revealed its feet of clay.

From Los Angeles Times

He came to recognize the justices’ “feet of clay,” their human appetites and frailties.

From Salon

Part of what remains invisible — in addition to the 300 feet of clay pipe installed by Metabolic Studio — is the original riverbed.

From Los Angeles Times

"The economic recovery, which is built on feet of clay, is thus beginning to falter," the survey said.

From Reuters