Meaning & use
long on the tooth
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiominformalhumorous
Getting rather old, especially too old for a particular activity or job.
Grammar: Fixed idiom used after a verb such as be or get: she is getting a bit long in the tooth.
Patterns
- be getting long in the tooth
- a bit long in the tooth for something
I think I'm a bit long in the tooth to start learning snowboarding.
The goalkeeper is long in the tooth, but he still makes spectacular saves.
Our car is getting long in the tooth, so we are saving for a replacement.
Common combinations
- getting a bit long in the tooth
- He's getting a bit long in the tooth for night shifts.
- rather long in the tooth
- The band is rather long in the tooth but still sells out stadiums.
- a little long in the tooth
- The software is a little long in the tooth and needs replacing.
- too long in the tooth
- Is she too long in the tooth to change careers?
Synonyms and how they differ
- over the hill
- Over the hill is more openly negative and suggests someone is past their best, whereas long in the tooth is milder and more teasing.
- getting on
- Getting on is a polite, general way to say someone is aging, with no joking tone.
- past it
- Past it is blunter and suggests the person can no longer do something, which is stronger than long in the tooth.
- elderly
- Elderly is a neutral formal word for older people and has no humor.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: long on the tooth or long in the tongue?
long on the tooth vs long in the tongue
This is not an idiom; the correct phrase is long in the tooth.
Practice
The old laptop is getting rather ____ and often freezes.
Choose one answer.
Long in the tooth means getting old or worn with age. The other options are different idioms or mean something else.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “long on the tooth”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.