back foot

noun

on the back foot at a disadvantage; outmanoeuvred or outclassed by an opponent

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

Examples from the Web for back foot

Contemporary Examples

ISIS was still on the back-foot in Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, where fierce fighting was reported yesterday.
Experts: Al Qaeda Infighting In Syria Leaves 700 Dead
Jamie Dettmer
January 15, 2014

back foot

Examples from the Web for back foot

Contemporary Examples

ISIS was still on the back-foot in Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, where fierce fighting was reported yesterday.