| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Heel, Heels. | | |
(Anglo-Saxon h l.) | 1 |
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Achilles’ heel. (See under ACHILLES.) | 2 |
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I showed him a fair pair of heels. I ran away and outran them. | 3 |
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“Two of them saw me when I went out of doors, and chased me, but I showed them a fair pair of heels.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the Peak, chap. xxiv. |
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Out at heels. In a sad plight, in decayed circumstances, like a beggar whose stockings are worn out at the heels. | 4 |
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| “A good man’s fortune may grow out at heels.” | |
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Shakespeare: King Lear, ii. 2. |
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To show a light pair of heels. To abscond. | 5 |
To take to one’s heels. To run off. “In pedes nos conjic re.” | 6 |
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