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flatfooted

[flat-foo t-id]
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

asleep, inattentive, unsuspecting, napping, unready, derelict, negligent, unguarded, unprepared

Nearby words

  1. flatbread,
  2. flatcar,
  3. flatette,
  4. flatfish,
  5. flatfoot,
  6. flathead,
  7. flathead catfish,
  8. flatheaded apple tree borer,
  9. flatheaded borer,
  10. flatiron

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

Examples from the Web for flat-footed

British Dictionary definitions for flat-footed

flat-footed

adjective

having flatfoot
British informal
  1. clumsy or awkward
  2. 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

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."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with flat-footed

flat-footed

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.