“Be on the back foot”
WorkKahulugan
Ang malagay sa kawalan at mapilitang tumugon sa halip na magkusa.
English: To be at a disadvantage and forced to react rather than take the initiative.
Mga halimbawa
Mga halimbawa
1 / 2“The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot.”
Ang hindi inaasahang tanong ay naglagay sa kausap sa isang dehado at napilitan itong gumanti.
Use this idiom in context
Rewrite this example in plain English without the idiom. Preserve who is speaking, the time and the meaning.
The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot.Compare with the original example
The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot.
Ang hindi inaasahang tanong ay naglagay sa kausap sa isang dehado at napilitan itong gumanti.
Write a two-line conversation using “Be on the back foot”. Make the situation clear enough that a reader can infer the meaning. Then replace the idiom with a plain-English explanation: does your conversation still mean the same thing?
Check the expression in a dictionaryMga madalas itanong
- What does "Be on the back foot" mean?
- "Be on the back foot" means ang malagay sa kawalan at mapilitang tumugon sa halip na magkusa.
- How do you use "Be on the back foot" in a sentence?
- Example: "The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot."
- Should I interpret "Be on the back foot" word for word?
- Understand the expression as a whole. Use the definition and example to learn its meaning rather than translating each word separately.