at someone's feet
3
6.1
- idiom
:
a los pies de
- Lifted on stage, she kneels at Xuxa's feet and sobs as she professes her devotion to the star.
- kneel at his master's feet
- knelt at their master's feet
- at their master's feet, weeping and begging
Examples
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And I've been at her feet ever since.
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There were a bunch of older men sitting in a semicircle at his feet.
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Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet.
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Brandon would sit up till all hours at the master's feet.
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And I have been groveling at his feet ever since.
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Who will kneel at his feet and swear allegiance?
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Patricia breaks through the crowd and throws herself at Joe's feet.
Fiction book (1990) -
"Free me!" Paisley flung herself at Lily, throwing herself to her knees at Lily's feet.
Fiction book (1990) -
And I shall lay my heart at his feet.
-
Men are really at her feet.
Synonyms
9
2.0
Being on your knees as a sign of respect or worship
3
7.9
To show respect and learn from someone seen as a teacher
Kneeling with your knees on the ground or being very weak and needing help
Antonyms
How Devoted
Surface Forms
Morphology
at + someone's + feet
The phrase literally combines the spatial preposition 'at' with 'someone's feet', so the figurative sense of submission or admiration is a metaphorical extension from the physical image of being at or near someone's feet (kneeling). This metaphor is common across many languages and may be partially inferable by learners who know the words, but the idiomatic social/pragmatic meaning is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
At someone's feet comes from the old image of a person sitting or kneeling by someone's feet to show respect or to learn from them. Being literally at someone's feet meant you were close, ready to obey and admiring, so the phrase now means 'in a position of loyalty, admiration, or submission to someone'.