flatfooted

[flat-foo t-id]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flatfooted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having flatfeet.

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

clumsy or plodding; maladroit: flatfooted writing.

Idioms

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

Related formsflat·foot·ed·ly, adverbflat·foot·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for flat-footed

asleep, inattentive, unsuspecting, flat-footed, napping, unready, derelict, negligent, unguarded, unprepared

Examples from the Web for flat-footed

Contemporary Examples of flat-footed

There, so taken, caught in the act, flat-footed, we are obliged to make our stand.
McConaughey’s ‘Stand’—And Ours
James Poulos
December 5, 2014
Obama's offensive caught the Romney camp completely by surprise and left them flat-footed and slack jawed.
Mark McKinnon on Obama’s Late, But Correct, Immigration Announcement
Mark McKinnon
June 19, 2012

Historical Examples of flat-footed

In a little while, with flat-footed stamping, Ben Helders came in.
Christmas
Zona Gale
This causes a kind of optical illusion which is favorable to the flat-footed.
Social Life
Maud C. Cooke
Or by bold combinations: down-and-out, up-state, flat-footed.
The American Language
Henry L. Mencken
He was flat-footed, and on that account had never served in the German army.
The Witch Doctor and other Rhodesian Studies
Frank Worthington
Plan' ti grade, walking on the soles of the feet; flat-footed.
A Guide for the Study of Animals
Worrallo Whitney

British Dictionary definitions for flat-footed

flat-footed

adjective

having flatfoot

British informal

clumsy or awkward
downright and uncompromising

informal off guard or unawares (often in the phrase catch flat-footed)

Derived Formsflat-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

Word Origin and History for flat-footed

adj.

c.1600, "with flat feet;" meaning "unprepared" is from 1912, U.S. baseball slang, on notion of "not on one's toes;" earlier in U.S. colloquial use it meant "straightforwardly, downright" (1828), from notion of "standing firmly."

Idioms and Phrases with flat-footed

flat-footed

see caught flat-footed.