play footsie


Behave coyly, flirt with, especially secretly. For example, Get to the point, there's no need to play footsie with us. This expression alludes to two persons surreptitiously rubbing each other's feet together. [1940s]

Words Nearby play footsie

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

How to use play footsie in a sentence

  • He was evidently not going to play footsie with, or show any favoritism whatever toward, any woman aboard the ship.

    Masters of Space | Edward Elmer Smith
  • D'you think I'd even try to play footsie with Barbara Warner?

    Subspace Survivors | E. E. Smith