be caught flat-footed
To be startled or be caught unawares or while unprepared. The thieves were caught flat-footed by the security guard. Ugh, our defensemen were caught flat-footed, that's why the other team was able to score so easily. Terry hadn't prepared anything to say at the reception, so he was caught flat-footed when they asked him to say a few words.
be flat-footed
1. To be unprepared or slow to react. That goal was my fault, guys. I was flat-footed on the play. The company has been somewhat flat-footed in its response to the scandal. We all know what we're supposed to be doing, right? Because once we go in there and start breaking into the safe, no one can be flat-footed.
2. To be clumsy and awkward. Don't trust her carrying that vase—she's so flat-footed. I would change your opening argument—it's a little flat-footed as it is. Though he raised some interesting points, his writing was flat-footed throughout most of his term paper.
catch (one) flat-footed
To startle one; to come upon one unawares or unprepared. Usually used in the past tense. The security guard caught the thieves flat-footed. That essay question in the exam caught me completely flat-footed. Ugh, our defensemen were caught flat-footed, that's why the other team was able to score so easily.
flat-footed
1. Slow to react. Unprepared. Often used in the phrase "caught flat footed." That goal was my fault, guys. I got caught flat-footed on the play. The company has been somewhat flat-footed in its response to the scandal. We all know what we're supposed to be doing, right? Because once we go in there and start breaking into the safe, no one can be flat-footed.
2. Clumsy and awkward. Don't trust her carrying that vase—she's so flat-footed. I would change your opening argument—it's a little flat-footed right now. Though he raised some interesting points, his writing was flat-footed throughout most of his term paper.
foot the bill
To pay for something. I hope the production company is footing the bill for all of this air travel. The office will foot the bill for your trip, so make sure to use your company credit card. No, I refuse to foot the bill for all these kids! Where are their parents?
foot up
To add or total something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "foot" and "up." Do you mind footing up the bill for us? Don't ask me to foot up the bill, I'm not good at math. A: "You're going to foot up all the expenses?" B: "Yeah, as long as we can find a calculator."
heavy-footed
Clumsy, ponderous, or lumbering in gait or tread. The team's star striker deftly navigated the ball past the heavy-footed defenseman. The bus swayed as the heavy-footed teen boys climbed aboard, whooping and laughing. Oh, you'll know when Phil's here—he's extremely heavy-footed. When he goes up and down the steps, it's enough to shake the house!
hotfoot
To travel as fast as one can, usually by walking or running. We need to hotfoot it out of here before Mom catches us going through her things! We need to hotfoot it off to the game, or we're going to be late. Duh, of course we hotfooted it out of the party when we heard the police sirens!
hotfoot it
To travel as fast as one can, usually by walking or running. We need to hotfoot it out of here before Mom catches us going through her things! We need to hotfoot it off to the game, or we're going to be late. Duh, of course we hotfooted it out of the party when we heard the police sirens!
hotfoot it off to (some place)
To leave for some place as fast as one can, usually by walking or running. We need to hotfoot it off to the game, or we're going to be late. I need to hotfoot it off to the library before it closes. Duh, of course we hotfooted it off to home when we heard police sirens outside the party!
hotfoot it out of (some place)
To leave some place as fast as one can, usually by walking or running. We need to hotfoot it out of here before Mom catches us going through her things! Come on, we've gotta hotfoot it out of the lobby before someone notices we're not at our desks. Duh, of course we hotfooted it out of the party when we heard the police sirens!
wrong-foot
1. In soccer, to make a shot that makes a defender or goal keeper stumble or lose balance. The midfielder scored the critical tie-breaking goal just minutes before the end of regular time, wrong-footing the keeper with an incredible shot to the top corner of the net.
2. By extension, to maneuver in such a way as to catch someone off guard, especially so as to put them in an awkward or disadvantageous position. The quick-witted journalist wrong-footed the politician several times during the interview. I'm not trying to wrong-foot the board of directors, I'm just trying to do what I think is morally correct.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
catch red-handed
Also, catch in the act. Apprehend someone in the course of wrongdoing, as in The boys were trying to steal a car and the police caught them red-handed, or He tried to cheat on the exam, but his teacher walked in and caught him in the act. The first term referred to blood on a murderer's hands and originally signified only that crime. Later it was extended to any offense. The variant ( catch in the act) is a translation of the Latin in flagrante delicto, part of the Roman code and long used in English law.
caught flat-footed
Caught unprepared, taken by surprise, as in The reporter's question caught the President flat-footed. This usage comes from one or another sport in which a player should be on his or her toes, ready to act. [c. 1900]
foot the bill
Pay the bill, settle the accounts, as in The bride's father was resigned to footing the bill for the wedding. This expression uses foot in the sense of "add up and put the total at the foot, or bottom, of an account." [Colloquial; early 1800s]
hotfoot it
Go in haste, walk fast or run. For example, I'll have to hotfoot it to the airport if I'm to meet them. [Slang; c. 1900]
wrong-foot
Deceive by moving differently from what one expects, as in He won quite a few points by wrong-footing his opponent. This expression comes from tennis, where it means to hit the ball in the direction the opponent is moving away from. It was transferred to other applications in the late 1900s, as in Susan Larson's review of a concert: "Music wrong-footing and deceiving the ear" ( Boston Globe, November 1, 1994).
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.