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put one's best foot forward

Idioms  

  1. Try for the best possible impression, make a good start, as in Come on, let's put our best foot forward for this interview. The allusion in this idiom is unclear, though it may concern marching. One theory is that best foot means “the right foot,” the left being regarded as unlucky. [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

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It’s always helpful to put one’s best foot forward and be polite.

From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2016

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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