“Be on the back foot”
WorkDéfinition
Être désavantagé et contraint de réagir plutôt que de prendre l'initiative.
English: To be at a disadvantage and forced to react rather than take the initiative.
Exemples
Exemples
1 / 2“The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot.”
Cette question inattendue a mis l'orateur en difficulté et l'a forcé à réagir.
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.
Cette question inattendue a mis l'orateur en difficulté et l'a forcé à réagir.
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 dictionaryQuestions fréquentes
- What does "Be on the back foot" mean?
- "Be on the back foot" means être désavantagé et contraint de réagir plutôt que de prendre l'initiative.
- 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.