off the back foot

prepositional phrase

From a defensive position.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. idiomaticFrom a defensive position.

Origin

By analogy with a cricket shot.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

off the back foot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20the%20back%20foot

MLA

“off the back foot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20the%20back%20foot. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “off the back foot,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/off%20the%20back%20foot.

Source: off the back foot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.