light on one's feet
4
4.8
- idiom
- Informal
:
ágil
- The gymnast was incredibly light on her feet, effortlessly executing each move.
- feel light on your feet
- very light on your feet
- so light on your feet
Examples
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Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet.
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Boy, you're light on your feet for a big man.
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Wow, Uncle Max, you sure are light on your feet.
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You are so light on your feet!
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I feel pretty light on my feet.
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Perhaps the suspect was light on his feet, sir.
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I gotta be light on my feet like a dancer.
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With these shoes on, I'm pretty light on my feet.
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Whether you are training or racing on trails, think about staying light on your feet.
Blog text (24) -
For a man your size, you're surprisingly light on your feet.
Synonyms
183
1.0
Able to move fast and lightly
23
3.7
Able to move quickly and easily like a gymnast
1
4.2
Moving quickly and quietly with small graceful steps
1
4.8
Able to move the feet quickly and easily
Moving easily and gracefully like a dancer
Able to run very quickly on foot
Antonyms
How Agile
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'able to move quickly and easily' is directly inferable from combining 'light' (not heavy/nimble) with the locative phrase 'on one's feet' — the image of being light while standing/moving makes the sense compositional. This body-based metaphor for agility is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English adjective + prepositional phrase patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can reasonably deduce the meaning.
Etymology
Light on one's feet shows someone whose feet are almost light, so they step softly and move quickly. One popular idea says this image comes from dancers and athletes who must stay light to turn and jump easily, and that's why the phrase means 'able to move quickly and easily'.