too long in the tooth

[tphuong122002]

Hi my friends!

Could anyone help explain what too long in the tooth means?

Here is the link: http://www.greatwriting.co.uk/content/view/9953/77/

or here: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mickcleary/august07/toolonginthetooth.htm

Many thanks!

Tphuong

 

[Tegs]

Long in the tooth = old. Therefore: too long in the tooth = too old

 

[tphuong122002]

Long in the tooth = old. Therefore: too long in the tooth = too old

Many thanks, Tegs, for your help!

 

[Ali Smith]

I just came across this:

Aren't I a bit long in the tooth to start being an undergraduate?

Is "to be long in the tooth" still understood in America? I'm assuming it means "to be old".

 

[Rover_KE]

Elderly people's gums recede, making any remaining teeth we have appear longer.

 

[RM1(SS)]

I always thought it had to do with horses.

 

[Aguas Claras]

I always thought it had to do with horses.

So did I. But, of course, it's also true of people.

 

[velisarius]

It's more marked in horses than in humans. It says here that horses' teeth actually grow as they age, but get worn down:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...8QFnoECBIQBQ&usg=AOvVaw37WEs4_8fu9PNlJpYWy3M6

Added: ... the expression “long in the tooth” was originally used to describe older horses, who typically have very long incisor teeth due to the receding gum line.

 

[LVRBC]

Here's everything you could ever want to know about horse's teeth, and, yes, there is a reference to the expression "long in the tooth." Aging Horses by Their Teeth

 

[Roxxxannne]

I just came across this:

Aren't I a bit long in the tooth to start being an undergraduate?

Is "to be long in the tooth" still understood in America? I'm assuming it means "to be old".

It's understood by me, but I have no idea whether people who are a couple of generations younger understand it.