foot-dragging

[ foot-drag-ing ]

/ ˈfʊtˌdræg ɪŋ /

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reluctance or failure to proceed or act promptly.

QUIZZES

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

First recorded in 1945–50; from the verb phrase drag one's feet

Together, they crossed over the International Bridges on foot into Juarez to conduct some business.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In the classic skillset of piloting, mental acuity, and its coordination with hand and foot movements, is equally vital.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Wearing the right foot of a chicken was considered good luck.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The office was always dragging their feet, not taking action on things Morris reported,” Zertuche said in an interview.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired.|David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It made sense with so many suspects at hand, less so with the tower entrance separated from them by a forty foot wall.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The bride elect rushes up to him, and so they both step down to the foot-lights.
Physiology of The Opera|John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")
I find myself chained to the foot of a woman, my noble Cornelia would despise!
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
We had now approached closely to the foot of the mountain-ranges, and their lofty summits were high above us in mid-air.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
A few moments afterward he was seen dragging his own trunk ashore, while Mr. Hitchcock finished his story on the boiler deck.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
We see the whole land, even if but at a distance, instead of being limited merely to the spot where our foot treads.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay