The 'height' of the ceiling is eight feet. [=the ceiling is eight feet above the floor; the ceiling is eight feet high]
It was 'the height of' stupidity to quit the team. [=it was extremely stupid to quit the team]
He was 'at the height of' his fame when he died. [=he died when he was most famous]
(..) .. Now, somebody around here promised me a whupping. .. Dark-haired feIIa. .. Crazy beard. About your height. Seen him? .. When it comes right down to it, you just can't beat... .. ...a good oId-fashioned pair of Iegs. .. (..)1999 Wild Wild West