first-foot

[ furst-foot ]

noun

1. the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.
2. the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.

verb (used with object)

1. to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.

verb (used without object)

1. to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.

first-foot

noun

1. the first person to enter a household in the New Year. By Hogmanay tradition a dark-haired man who crosses the threshold at midnight brings good luck

verb

1. to enter (a house) as first-foot

Derived Forms

• ˈfirst-ˈfooting, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of first-foot¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The superstition concerning “first-foot” has not yet died out; but the observance is not regarded with that seriousness which ruled half a century ago, and to the next generation, probably, this ancient New Year’s custom and belief will have become part of the history of the bygone.

From Project Gutenberg

They will discuss the party's plans for a first-foot scheme to help people get onto the housing ladder.

From BBC

FIRST-FOOT, in British folklore, especially that of the north and Scotland, the first person who crosses the threshold on Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

From Project Gutenberg

Good or ill luck is believed to be brought the house by First-Foot, and a female First-Foot is regarded with dread.

From Project Gutenberg

What need we say more—before the New Year came, they went down to Scotland a wedded pair, to be his mother's first-foot in the farmhouse, which had been rebuilt.

From Project Gutenberg