cloven hoof
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈkloʊvən huf/
:
pezuña hendida
- The guidelines specify that only animals with a cloven hoof and that chew the cud are considered clean for consumption.
Examples
-
It printed the grass of an emerald meadow with its cloven hooves and knelt beside a tainted fountain.
Fiction book (1999) -
Dainty cloven hooves planted themselves hard and decidedly in the earth just a handspan from the fence, bright garnet eyes twinkling with amusement.
Fiction book (1999) -
Its feet are cloven hooves.
Fiction book (1990) -
The passage said he must avoid the cloven hoof and all manner of unclean things.
Fiction book (1993) -
It has horns, cloven hooves, and a tail, and it lives with her, curled up by her hearth.
Fiction book (1993) -
Goats, concupiscent animals with cloven hooves, separated from sheep allegorically in the Bible, are routinely associated with the devil.
Academic text (1999) -
Often there were stories about his sheep—about cloven hooves caught in rocky vises, about lambs found dead after being born in the night.
Fiction book (1993) -
Cattle have cloven hooves, which help them walk on rugged terrain.
-
Animals with cloven hooves include sheep and pigs, which are often found on farms.
Synonyms
A hoof that is split into two parts, like on a goat or pig
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal sense 'a split hoof' is directly derivable from 'cloven' (split) + 'hoof' and would be understood by a B1 learner who knows both words. However, the conventionalized cultural/idiomatic association with the Devil is a figurative extension not predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Cloven hoof is the name of a hoof that is cloven, meaning split into two parts as in cows and sheep. The clear picture of two toes helps you remember it means a 'split hoof' on these animals.