dead men's shoes

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English

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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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.