on its last legs
Variant of leg
leg (leg)
noun
- one of the parts of the body by means of which animals stand and walk, specif., in human beings,
- one of the lower limbs
- Anat. the part of either lower limb from the knee to the foot
- a cut of meat consisting of the leg or its lower part
- the part of a stocking, slacks, etc. that covers the leg
- anything that resembles a leg in shape or use; specif.,
- a bar or pole used as a support or prop
- any of the supports of a piece of furniture
- any of the branches of a forked or jointed object
- the run made by a sailing vessel on one tack
- any of the stages of a journey or other course
- Slang a sustained ability to attract audiences: said as of a film
- Cricket that part of the field which lies to the left and back of the batsman
- Math. either of the sides of a triangle other than its base or, in a right-angled triangle, its hypotenuse
Etymology: ME < ON leggr, a leg, limb < IE base *lek-, limb > L lacertus, muscle, lacerta, lizard
Related Forms:
- legless leg′·less adjective
get up on one's hind legs
give a leg up
Informal- to help to mount
- to help advance
not have a leg to stand on
pull someone's leg
shake a leg
Slang- to hurry
- to dance
stretch one's legs
take to one's legs
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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