When I was a teenager, I dreamed of going to the famous Glastonbury festival in the UK. At this festival, people watch performances by world-class musicians. They party hard and dance late into the night, before sleeping overnight in tents. Then, they wake up, and do it all over again the next day! Unfortunately, I never made it to Glastonbury when I was younger. Nowadays, I’m a bit long in the tooth to camp overnight at a music festival. I might consider ‘glamping’ (glamorous camping) in a yurt. But to be honest, I prefer the creature comforts of a good hotel! How about you?
Check out the video below for more examples of this idiom in use.
Transcript
Did you know that a horse’s teeth continue to grow all the way through their lives? For this reason, if you measure a horse’s tooth, you can tell how old they are.
So, when we say long in the tooth, we mean old, but old in a negative way, like too old to successfully do something.
Let’s look at a few examples:
- Isn’t that actor a little long in the tooth to be playing a high school student? He’s 37 years old!
- To be honest, Mr. Smith, Michael is getting a little long in the tooth. You should give me the job instead. It needs someone with more energy.
- Thanks for the offer, but we’re a little long in the tooth to be learning how to breakdance, Charlie!
So, there we are: long in the tooth. Try to use this phrase in a sentence of your own in the comments section below. Good luck! See you next time!
Practice
Now it’s your turn. Try to respond to the questions below using today’s idiom.
- Do you believe the old saying that you are only as old as you feel? Can you ever be too old to do certain things?
- Did you ever think an actor was a little old to be playing an action hero in the movies?
- Have you ever felt too old to attend a party or an event? What did you say to the host?
Watch more video lessons in our Everyday Idioms series.
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