Expression: 'he is five foot nothing'

[Shane]

Hi there

I want to know the meanings of two sentences I recently read in a dictionary.(The words were PATIENT and FOOT)

1- The patient in the end bed is a real one, I can tell you.
2- He is five foot nothing.

Thank you all

Shane

[Yankee]

Hi Shane

I understand "patient" to be a sick person (in a hospital, receiving medical treatment)

"five foot nothing" --> I understand this to mean that he is exactly five feet tall.

By the way, I'm five foot four. (= 5 feet + four inches)

Amy
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Shane]

I am thankful, but:

Nothing means Exactly?
Can you give a few examples?

[Yankee]

Hi Shane

For me the sentence is a bit slang. The word "nothing" indicates that his height is "five feet and zero inches".

So, the word "nothing" means "zero (inches)" in this sentence.

It was probably worded that way for emphasis --- i.e., the speaker thinks five feet is unusually short for a man.

Amy
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English