to keep on (one's) toes
- idiom
- Informal
:
mantener alerta
- The unexpected questions during the meeting kept everyone on their toes.
Examples
-
Keeps me on my toes.
-
I'll keep you on your toes
-
Just trying to keep you on your toes, sir.
-
Just always keep people on their toes.
-
Ok, everybody, keep on your toes.
-
I'm just keeping you on your toes.
-
Keeps you on your toes.
-
Keeps them on their toes.
-
He's been keeping me on my toes since we arrived.
-
They keep you on your toes.
Synonyms
134
3.2
Watch carefully for someone or something
97
3.8
Watch carefully for danger or a chance
30
3.1
To stay alert and watch for danger or trouble
28
3.4
To watch carefully so you notice danger or changes
16
4.6
Watch carefully for something important or dangerous
13
6.3
To notice things quickly and act to fix them
4
3.7
Stay alert to hear useful news or information
4
7.4
To stay focused and calm in a difficult situation
1
6.3
To stay alert and ready for anything that might happen
1
6.0
Watch carefully for something you expect to see
1
7.7
To be alert and ready to act
To stay alert and think quickly in difficult or unexpected situations
To pay close attention to what people say and do to know what is happening
How Alert
66
6.0
- Informal
28
3.4
∞
1.6
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes the literal posture of being 'on one's toes' (ready to move), so a learner who knows 'keep', 'on' and 'toe(s)' can plausibly infer the sense of remaining alert or ready; the spatial/motor image maps well to the intended meaning and is cross-linguistically accessible. However, the meaning relies on a metaphorical extension of the physical posture and the specific idiomatic collocation (keep someone on their toes) is not strictly compositional, so full understanding may require some exposure.
Etymology
Keep on (one's) toes comes from the simple image of someone standing on their toes so they can move quickly. If a person or job 'keeps you on your toes' it means they make you stay 'alert' and 'ready' for surprises.