Date: Thu Dec 17 00:04:27 EST 1998
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--down-at-the-heel

down-at-heel (doun-at-HEEL) or down-at-the-heel adjective

1. Worn out from long use or neglect; dilapidated.

2. Shabbily dressed because of poverty; seedy.

A really obsolete phrase. When making a pair of shoes took
several hours of a skilled craftsman's time, shoes were expensive, and worn as long as possible. The heels of shoes
wear faster than the soles, and the wear is more readily
noticed. Shoe are mass-produced now, and relatively cheap.
Today few people betray their poverty by the condition of
their shoes.

and down-at-the-mouth?

is that from eating ducks?

Dear etaoin: My father's Chesapeake Bay Retriever was so soft mouthed he didn't mar any down.
What a dog he was. When I was small, the minute I got into
the water up to my knees, he'd come grab me by the seat of
my bathing suit, and drag me back up onto the beach. He knew
I couldn't swim.

I know this much better as down-at-heel, with no 'the'.

Bingley