flatfooted

[ flat-foot-id ]

/ ˈflætˈfʊt ɪd /

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adjective

having flatfeet.

taking or showing an uncompromising stand in a matter; firm and explicit: a flatfooted denial.

clumsy or plodding; maladroit: flatfooted writing.

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Idioms about flatfooted

catch one flatfooted, to catch one unprepared; surprise: The amount of the bill caught us flatfooted.

Origin of flatfooted

First recorded in 1595–1605; flatfoot + -ed³

OTHER WORDS FROM flatfooted

flat·foot·ed·ly, adverbflat·foot·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use flatfooted in a sentence

Luckily enough I have this dedicated flat that is just along from my house that I go to every day.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
There were stomachs, taut and flat, but also undulating bellies, soft and bloated from the breakfast buffet.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The running machines are a gloomy chorus of heavy-footed stomping.
How to Survive the New Year ‘Gympocalypse’|Tim Teeman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The program—weirdly—is now under the umbrella of ABC News, and is suffering from flat ratings and an aging demographic.
The Bloodiest Media Coups of 2014|Lloyd Grove|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Another sent back a flat-screen television with a bona fide tombstone within.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why not have sought out the pure white lime-rocks of the flat country, or the grey granite of the hills?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
It was no wonder that he felt quite at home in the duck-pond, which was made for web-footed folk.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Then the roof itself, with its gables and dormer windows, softly folded itself flat down upon the top of the house, out of sight.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
Instead of writing slander and flat blasphemy, they propose to draw it, and not draw it mild.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
There is no other way but fresh blood for it is sheer human nature to feel flat after an effort.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for flatfooted

flat-footed

/ (ˌflætˈfʊtɪd) /

adjective

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, adverbflat-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