on all fours

on all fours

Of a person, on one's hands and knees; of a four-legged animal, on all four feet. I got down on all fours trying to find my ring in the sand. The bear got down on all fours and started charging at us through the trees.

See also: all, four, on

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

on all fours

on one's hands and knees. I dropped a contact lens and spent an hour on all fours looking for it. The baby can walk, but is on all fours most of the time anyway.

See also: all, four, on

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

on all fours

On one's hands and knees, as in Seven of us were on all fours, looking for the lost earring in the sand. In this idiom fours refers to the four limbs. [1300s]

See also: all, four, on

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

on all ˈfours

with your knees, toes and hands on the floor: The ceiling of the tunnel was so low that we had to crawl along on all fours.

See also: all, four, on

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017