Newborn baby, Dorothy
Jane, shows off her new little foot! (Courtesy Photo from her Grandmother)
Newborn baby, Dorothy
Jane, shows off her new little foot! (Courtesy Photo from her Grandmother)
Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
On
this program, we explore common expressions in
American English.
Today
we talk about a part of our body that is usually very busy – our feet!
Feet help us walk, run, dance, and jump. The words feet and foot are
also used in everyday speech.
For example, the English language has feet idioms that describe different kinds of
people.
To be under someone’s feet means to be troublesome. In other words, you are
standing too close to someone and are getting in their way. Some
adults criticize children for being under
foot.
Speaking of children, if someone says their home will soon have the pitter-patter of tiny feet,
it means the family is expecting a baby!
Now, people who are active do not let grass grow under their feet.
They are never in once place for very long.
People who can think and take action at the same time are said to be
able to think on their feet.
Some people appear to have it all. They have money, a good education,
good looks, a great family and a large circle of friends. You could say they have the world at their feet.
This means whatever they want seems to be there for them.
People who have both
feet firmly on the ground are
realistic and practical.
They are not dreamy. You might say such a person is well grounded.
If you are a bad dancer, you might be accused of having two left feet. To
dance well, it is better to have a right foot and a left foot.
Professional dancers
are never described as having two left feet. Here a dancer performs during an
open audition to join the world famous Rockettes at NYC Radio City Music Hall,
April 2013.
Besides describing different people, feet expressions can be helpful
when talking about jobs and careers.
Let me tell you about a man named Sam. He has worked at a government job
for years. But now he is looking for a new career. He wants to do something he
loves -- something exciting!
Sam loves skiing.
He thinks that it would be fun to own a ski resort high in the mountains. But he knows
nothing about operating a business. So, he decides to get his feet wet. In
other words, he wants to get used to a new situation.
He joins an organization for resort owners and attends their
conferences. He travels to ski areas all over the United States. This helps Sam get his foot in the door.
Having a foot in the door is a starting point, an opportunity. This
expression comes from people selling things door-to-door. They would block the
door with their foot so people couldn’t close the door on them.
The more Sam learns about the ski business, the more excited he gets.
All this information is a great start. But it isn’t enough to make his
dream a reality. He finally gets a
firm foothold when
he finds some mountain top property for sale in West Virginia. He gets a loan
from a bank and buys the land! Getting a foothold is finding a starting point
that makes further progress possible.
Sam is so excited that he jumps
in with both feet. If you start a new job or project with much
energy, you can say you jumped in with both feet. Sam works hard with ski slope designers and engineers. At the end of
each day, all of them are dead on
their feet. They are so tired that they have trouble standing
up. So, Sam and his team decide to put
their feet up. They rest and take it easy.
Finally, Sam faces opening day – the day he has been dreaming about.
But the night before his business is to open, Sam gets cold feet. He is so
nervous that he wants to call everything off. He’s afraid that his resort will
be a total failure. To get cold feet means to become afraid about something at
the last minute. But then, Sam takes a deep breath and calms down. He gets his feet back under him.
He decides that his opening day will be wonderful!
However, there is a problem. The ski lift is broken. This makes Sam really angry. He wants to know
what went wrong. So, he holds
the mechanic’s feet to the fire. This expression means to make
someone take responsibility for a mistake. Sam instructs the mechanic to fix
the ski lift. But she drags
her feet. This means she is slow to fix it. So, Sam fires her and hires another mechanic to fix the ski lift. After it is fixed, Sam is able to land on his feet. To be back on your feet or to land on your feet is to
recover from trouble.
Soon skiers are happily skiing down the slopes!
It is a great success!
Skiers
and snowboarders share the slopes.
Sam’s ski resort has been open for three seasons. And every year it is
easier for Sam to find his feet in this new and exciting career.
It is easier for him to get used to his new situation.
Now, Sam’s ski resort is popular with skiers and he has a successful new
career.
To thank his friends and family who helped him during that difficult first
year, he invites them to the resort for a weekend of skiing. And, of course, he footed
the bill. This means he
paid for everything!
And that is
Words and Their Stories. Hopefully this story has given you a firm foothold on
using feet and foot expressions.
Words in This
Story
idiom – n. an expression that cannot be
understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate
meaning of its own
practical – adj. logical and reasonable in a
particular situation
slope – n. an area of land on a mountain
that is used for skiing
resort – n. a place where people go for
vacations
engineer – n. a person who has scientific
training and who designs and builds complicated products, machines, systems, or
structures : a person who specializes in a branch of engineering
fire – v. to dismiss from employment
hire – v. to engage the personal
services of for a set sum
Listen to this episode of English in a Minute to here "two left
feet" used in a short dialogue.