dead men's shoes

English

Pronunciation

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• Rhymes: -uːz

Noun

dead men's shoes pl (plural only)

1. (idiomatic) A position or property that is only attainable by someone else upon the current holder's death.
   • 1897, Joseph Smith Fletcher, God's Failures:

     Folks come in sometimes when I'm lonely and make jest of it, saying that a creaking gate hangs long, and that it's weary waiting for dead men's shoes.