footsie

American  

[foot-see] / ˈfʊt si /

Also footsy,

noun

Informal.

1. Sometimes footsies. the act of flirting or sharing a surreptitious intimacy.

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idioms

1. play footsie / footsies with,

   1. to flirt with, especially by clandestinely touching someone's foot or leg; be slyly or furtively intimate with.

   2. to seek advantage from, especially by discreet or stealthy means; curry favor with.

Footsie ¹ British  

/ ˈfʊtsɪ /

noun

1. an informal name for Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index

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footsie ² British  

/ ˈfʊtsɪ /

noun

1. informal flirtation involving the touching together of feet, knees, etc (esp in the phrase play footsie )

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Etymology

Origin of footsie

First recorded in 1930–35; foot + -sie, spelling variant of -sy

Example Sentences

At this point, we’re only playing debasement footsie.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

More perplexing is that he was able to do so among some of the game’s top players, who at least played footsie with the notion that Naroditsky cheated, despite speculative-at-best reasoning.

From Slate • Nov. 1, 2025

Ms. Haley’s campaign events are gathering grounds for a mix of voters who are yearning to move past Mr. Trump and others who are playing footsie with the idea.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2024

Anyway, in the filing, Musk says he doesn’t want to play footsie with Twitter.

From The Verge • Apr. 14, 2022

Nancy knew everyone from school—except a little girl running around in footsie pajamas.

From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene