Long in the Tooth

Long in the tooth is a way to describe something as old.  It is usually used to talk about living things: humans or animals.

Example:  My dog is long in the tooth, but he had a good life. 

The idiom originally came from an animal as well.  It originated with horses.  As a horse ages, their gums recede.  It makes it look like their teeth are longer.  So, when someone would purchase a horse, they would check to see how long the molars (back teeth) are.  If the teeth are long, the horse is probably too old.

There are two other phrases related to a horse’s mouth: never look a gift horse in the mouth and straight from the horse’s mouth.  You might be able to figure out their meaning from this post, but I will cover them more in the next two days.

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