Learn English – What does “in the sere and yellow” mean

literaturemeaning-in-context

I am currently reading "A Study in Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle. On page 33 is a sentence I don't understand:

Well, if a man can stride four and a-half feet without the smallest effort, he can't be quite in the sere and yellow.

What does "in the sere and yellow" mean?

Note:
It seems to be related to this part of Macbeth:

I have liv'd long enough: my way of life
Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf;
And that which should accompany old age,
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have; but, in their stead,
Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,
Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.

Best Answer

It means he has not yet entered the autumn of his life, and is yet fit and hale.

In a comment below, MetaEd writes:

‘Sere and yellow are descriptive of an autumn leaf. Thus “in the sere and yellow” is a metaphor for being near the end of one’s life. In the quoted passage, it is used to mean that he has not yet entered the autumn of his life, and is yet fit and hale.’

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