on one's feet

Idioms  

1. In addition to the idiom (see the next entry) on one's feet, also see dead on one's feet; fall (land) on one's feet; get to one's feet; set one back on one's feet; stand on one's feet; think on one's feet.

2. Standing, as in I'm tired—I've been on my feet all day . [Mid-1400s] Also see get to one's feet .

3. Also, back on one's feet . Healthy, returned to good health, as in I hope you get back on your feet very soon . [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

The fellows read the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, took an improv-themed class on how to think on one’s feet and present oneself in the workplace, and went on field trips, including to the site of the Civil War’s Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal

Part of the skill involved is being able to think on one’s feet and make those objections in a timely and accurate way to preserve them for appeal.

From Slate

It was a rigorous job — one that required serious mental acuity during long, hot shifts of being on one's feet.

From Salon

And when you realize that your desires and your ambitions are restricted by the status quo, one has to think quickly on one’s feet.

From New York Times

So while I understand that there are quantum differences between losing a parent in one’s formative years as opposed to when one is supposedly able to more easily stand on one’s feet, I still occasionally wobble four decades removed from the guiding hand of my dad.

From New York Times