- the first person to enter a household in the New Year. By Hogmanay tradition a dark-haired man who crosses the threshold at midnight brings good luck
- to enter (a house) as first-foot
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
first-foot
(fûrst′fŏŏt′),USA pronunciation [Scot.]
n. Also, first′-foot′er.
v.t.
v.i.
n. Also, first′-foot′er.
- the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.
- the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.
v.t.
- to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.
v.i.
- to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.
- 1880–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
first-foot chiefly Scot n also: first-footer
'first-foot' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):