To have "one foot in the grave" is to be close to death; depicting an elderly or sick person or animal close to death, or one with a life so pathetic that their life barely counts as living.
Carl lives alone, has no friends, and spends his days drinking till' he sleeps. You could say he's got one foot in the grave. // "Grandpa is 102 and has leukemia, I'm sorry to say it, but he's already got one foot in the grave."
by junkiii April 24, 2020