flatfooted
having flatfeet.
taking or showing an uncompromising stand in a matter; firm and explicit: a flatfooted denial.
clumsy or plodding; maladroit: flatfooted writing.
Idioms about flatfooted
catch one flatfooted, to catch one unprepared; surprise: The amount of the bill caught us flatfooted.
Origin of flatfooted
1Other words from flatfooted
- flat·foot·ed·ly, adverb
- flat·foot·ed·ness, noun
Words Nearby flatfooted
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use flatfooted in a sentence
"Winn, I won't do it," said Brayton, with flatfooted decision.
A Trooper Galahad | Charles KingAt each encore the Utes stamped their flatfooted way round the room in a kind of impromptu and mirthful dance.
The Fighting Edge | William MacLeod RaineHe'd cite examples of how the whites would stand flatfooted and fight for the blacks the same as for members of their own family.
Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves. | Work Projects AdministrationSo my dignity was shocked when I had to come down from my self-promoted position to a flatfooted infantryman again.
The Southern Soldier Boy | James Carson ElliottShe looked up, puzzled, first at the comely, flatfooted Indian woman and afterward at the handsome little brown-faced papoose.
The Yukon Trail | William MacLeod Raine
British Dictionary definitions for flat-footed
/ (ˌflætˈfʊtɪd) /
having flatfoot
British informal
clumsy or awkward
downright and uncompromising
informal off guard or unawares (often in the phrase catch flat-footed)
Derived forms of flat-footed
- flat-footedly, adverb
- flat-footedness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with flatfooted
see caught flat-footed.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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