flatfoot

plural flatfoots · plural flatfeet · alternative flat-foot

1. in pluralmedicineA condition in which the arch of the foot makes contact with the ground.
2. A person having the above condition.
3. colloquialdatedderogatorygovernment(plural typically flatfoots) A policeman.

   Synonyms: 5-O, alphabet, barney, beatsman, bizzie, bluebottle, bluecoat, blue heeler

4. USinformalslanggovernmentA sailor.

present singular third person flatfoots · participle present flatfooting · participle past flatfooted · past flatfooted · alternative flat-foot

1. intransitiveTo walk around in the course of work, especially when investigating.

   And even if they didn't know about her they might know this was his old neighborhood and go flatfooting around asking.

   1936, John Thomas McIntyre, Steps going down, page 19

   2 more examples

   Meanwhile, a bobby placidly flatfooting his beat a few feet away recognized Marlene under the street lamp and naturally assumed the girls had too, and were merely trying to get her autograph.

   1956, Lee Mortimer, Around the World Confidential, page 38

   I'd spent a very long day flatfooting it round housing estates near Old Street, looking for a twelve-year-old boy who I'd never managed to find though the police eventually had, two weeks later.

   2017, Adam Baron, SuperJack: A totally gripping thriller with a twist you won’t see coming, →ISBN

2. intransitiveTo dance in the style of Appalachian clogging.

   Casewell, George, and Steve had the crowd flatfooting across the floor in no time.

   2014, Sarah Loudin Thomas, Appalachian Serenade (Appalachian Blessings): A Novella, →ISBN

3. transitiveTo gulp an entire drink (bottle, glass, can, etc.) without pausing between swallows.

   “Thanks, Kate,” Bill Bingley said, laying down a screw gun and flatfooting the Coke she handed him.

   2012, Dana Stabenow, A Grave Denied, →ISBN

4. transitiveTo perform an action inefficiently or awkwardly.
5. intransitiveTo wrong-foot.

   1 more example

   In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position.

   2018 June 17, Barney Ronay, “Mexico’s Hirving Lozano stuns world champions Germany for brilliant win”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2019