flatfooted

[ flat-foo t-id ]

/ ˈflætˈfʊt ɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR flatfooted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

clumsy or plodding; maladroit: flatfooted writing.

Nearby words

flatbread, flatcar, flatette, flatfish, flatfoot, flatfooted, flathead, flathead catfish, flatheaded apple tree borer, flatheaded borer, 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 forms

flat·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

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
The stoutest heart may fail, without blame, before the flat-footed pedestrianism of these platitudinous volumes.
The Glory of English Prose|Stephen Coleridge
This causes a kind of optical illusion which is favorable to the flat-footed.
Social Life|Maud C. Cooke

At a later date they enjoyed a succession of titles, such as "barefoot boys," "the flat-footed boys," and "the big-pawed boys."
The Life Of Abraham Lincoln|Ward H. Lamon
Since then I believe nothing more has been seen of these flat-footed people.
Wanderings Among South Sea Savages And in Borneo and the Philippines|H. Wilfrid Walker
I don't mind telling you, son, that I'm flat-footed on the other side this time, and I had hoped you were going to be.
The Honorable Senator Sage-Brush|Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for flat-footed

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with flat-footed

flat-footed

see caught flat-footed.