What’s the origin of the phrase ‘The game is afoot’?
The first use of ‘the game is afoot’ is found in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV Part I, 1597:
“Before the game is afoot, thou still let’st slip.”
Meaning
Categorised in: 135 Phrases coined by William Shakespeare
The phrase 'the game is afoot' means 'the process is underway'; for example, 'The teams are on the pitch - the whistle blows - the game is afoot.'
The first use of ‘the game is afoot’ is found in Shakespeare’s King Henry IV Part I, 1597:
“Before the game is afoot, thou still let’st slip.”