Jump To:

• footsie
  footsie

  noun

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

  noun

  an informal name for Financial Times Stock Exchange 100 Index

footsie

American  

[foot-see] / ˈfʊt si /

Also footsy,

noun

Informal.

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

---

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

---

footsie ² British  

/ ˈfʊtsɪ /

noun

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

---

Etymology

Origin of footsie

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

footsie Footsie

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

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

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

He spends half his time placating advertisers and the other half playing footsie with a fawning audience that tweets at him.

From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2023

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

For week 36, he takes on grime stars Footsie and Strategy, who are both Manchester United fans.

From BBC ● May 8, 2025

Footsie is from east London but followed in his family's footsteps by supporting United.

From BBC ● May 8, 2025

“Thank God,” Cade said as she returned home to her cats, Stevie and Footsie, after spending the night in a hotel for safety.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2020

Footsie, “the one-man band,” played techno remixes of wedding party classics like “Y.M.C.A.” on a synthesizer as blue, green and red lights pulsed overhead.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2017

The Footsie has now surged by 12% since mid-February, when shares hit their lowest level since 2012 amid fears of a new banking crisis and a global recession.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 4, 2016