footwork

[foot-wurk]

noun

1. the use of the feet, foot, as in tennis, boxing, or dancing.

2. travel by foot from one place to another, as in gathering facts or fulfilling an assignment; legwork.

   The project entailed a great deal of footwork.

3. the act or process of maneuvering, especially in a skillful manner.

   It took a bit of fancy footwork to avoid the issue.

footwork

/ ˈfʊtˌwɜːk /

noun

1. skilful use of the feet, as in sports, dancing, etc

2. informal,  clever manoeuvring

   deft political footwork

3. informal,  preliminary groundwork

   many estate agents now do the footwork – you only need to visit

Word History and Origins

Origin of footwork¹

First recorded in 1560–70; foot + work

Example Sentences

"Then he started showing me moves, giving me advice, and we stayed in touch. He's taught me so much about footwork, about power, about belief."

Read more on BBC

In his Halloween paso doble showcase, he wore a clerical collar and forewent grease paint or creepy contacts, relying on wide-eyed expressions and a low-slung layer of fake fog to hide his relatively clumsy footwork.

Read more on Salon

“Skill set-wise, I thought he was a very unique athlete, being, you know, the stature that he is. I thought his footwork was some of the best that I’ve seen.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Now at Bath, Arundell has demonstrated his sharp footwork and kept the ball alive in tight areas - and four tries in five Prem games indicates he is on the right track.

Read more on BBC

It is matching Washington’s fancy footwork with Pakistan with some slick moves of its own.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• airing 
• walk