Meanings
- idiomaticIn the earliest stages; at the outset.
We seemed in the foothills of a fabulous conversation when quite suddenly he was asleep.
2002, Arthur Nevis, Lares, page 122 more examples
LeBaron followed electronics stocks, which were in the foothills of a major market surge.
1994, Steven L. Mintz, Five Eminent Contrarians: Careers, Perspectives, and Investment Tactics, page 13Ruby recognised his discomfort talking about whether they might actually be in the foothills of a relationship.
2009, Bernadette Strachan, How to Lose a Husband and Gain a Life, page 221
Origin
Presumably a reference to the need to pass through foothills before attempting to climb a mountain.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
in the foothills. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20foothills
“in the foothills.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20foothills. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the foothills,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20foothills.
Source: in the foothills on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.