“Be on the back foot”
WorkDefinizione
Essere svantaggiati e costretti a reagire anziché prendere l'iniziativa.
English: To be at a disadvantage and forced to react rather than take the initiative.
Esempi
Esempi
1 / 2“The unexpected question put the speaker on the back foot.”
La domanda inaspettata ha messo l'oratore in difficoltà e lo ha costretto a reagire.
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.
La domanda inaspettata ha messo l'oratore in difficoltà e lo ha costretto a reagire.
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 dictionaryDomande frequenti
- What does "Be on the back foot" mean?
- "Be on the back foot" means essere svantaggiati e costretti a reagire anziché prendere l'iniziativa.
- 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.