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Glite Dictionary
to let the grass grow under someone's feet

to let the grass grow under someone's feet

1 8.6
Wait too long to act and miss a chance
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : dejar pasar oportunidades
  • You can't let the grass grow under your feet, young man.

Examples

  • If you keep letting the grass grow under your feet, you'll miss great opportunities.

  • Don't let the grass grow under your feet; make a decision soon.

  • She didn't let the grass grow under her feet and quickly applied for the job.

Synonyms

to buy time
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
23 4.1

To delay something on purpose to get more time to prepare

is slow to respond to opportunities rather than purposeful preparation delay
to stall for time
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
6 4.8

To delay doing something to get more time

is passive slowness in responding to opportunities rather than tactical stalling
to play for time
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
4 5.0

To delay on purpose to get more time before deciding or acting

is slow to respond to opportunities rather than delaying to gain advantage
to take one's sweet time
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
3 7.5

Do something slowly on purpose and without hurry

is slow to respond to opportunities rather than leisurely, self chosen delay
to drag one's heels
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
7.5

To delay doing something because you do not want to do it

is slow to respond to opportunities rather than mere reluctance to act
to drag one's feet
vsto let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
5.5

To be slow on purpose because you do not want to do something

is slow to respond to opportunities rather than resisting specific tasks

Antonyms

to take action
161 2.8

To do something to solve a problem or make a change

How Slow

to drag one's feet
  • Informal
5.5
to let the grass grow under someone's feet
  • Informal
1 8.6
to delay
562 1.4
to hesitate
318 2.5

Surface Forms

let the grass grow under someone's feet infinitive
letting the grass grow under someone's feet present participle
lets the grass grow under someone's feet third person singular
let the grass grew under someone's feet past
let the grass grown under someone's feet past participle

Morphology

let + the + grass + grow + under + someone's + foot

The literal components (let + grass grow + under someone's feet) produce a clear image of someone standing still long enough for grass to grow, which can evoke inactivity or missed opportunity and thus could be guessed by learners who know the words. However, the meaning is a metaphorical extension and idiomatic in use (telling someone not to delay), so the mapping from parts to the abstract sense is not fully compositional or guaranteed for a B1 learner.

Etymology

Let the grass grow under someone's feet comes from the picture of a person standing so long that grass grows under their feet. That's why it means 'to delay taking action' or 'be slow to act'.