off the back foot
- idiom
- Informal
:
en desventaja
- The team was off the back foot after their star player got injured.
Examples
-
He felt off the back foot during negotiations when the other party made a surprising demand.
-
After the unexpected news, she found herself off the back foot in the meeting.
-
You gotta throw off the back foot.
Synonyms
243
1.0
In a position with a lower score or later than others
7
4.5
Moving back from a place or position after a defeat
2
7.6
In a situation with very few choices where you must try hard to survive or win
In a situation where you are unlikely to win
Antonyms
How Advantageous
159
4.2
1
4.8
3
3.7
- Informal
581
4.0
243
2.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase evokes a spatial/sports metaphor (being on the 'back foot' = behind/defensive) so knowing 'off', 'back' and 'foot' gives a partial clue, but the specific abstract meaning 'placed at a disadvantage/on the defensive' is an idiomatic extension that is not fully predictable from the parts. Its sports-derived figurative sense and cross-linguistic variability mean a B1 learner who knows the words would likely need prior exposure to be sure of the meaning.
Etymology
Off the back foot comes from sports, especially boxing and cricket. In those games, standing on your back foot means you are pushed back and must defend, so being off the back foot came to mean 'in a weak or defensive position'.