English Explanatory Dictionary

long in the tooth

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Old; aged.

Pronunciation

en-us-long in the tooth.ogg en-au-long in the tooth.ogg

Word forms

long in the tooth

Etymology

Possibly from the practice of examining the length of horses’ teeth when estimating their ages: an old horse has long, rectangular incisors, and their occlusion angle is steep. Compare don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Synonyms

on in years over the hill wizened

Related words

don't look a gift horse in the mouth make old bones
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