Noun
A condition in which the arch of the foot makes contact with the ground.
Usage- in-plural
A person having the above condition.
(plural typically flatfoots) A policeman.
Usage- Colloquial
- Dated
- Derogatory
A sailor.
Usage- US usage
- Informal
- Slang
Verb
To walk around in the course of work, especially when investigating.
- Examples
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And even if they didn't know about her they might know this was his old neighborhood and go flatfooting around asking.
More examples (2)
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.
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.
To dance in the style of Appalachian clogging.
- Examples
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Casewell, George, and Steve had the crowd flatfooting across the floor in no time.
To gulp an entire drink (bottle, glass, can, etc.) without pausing between swallows.
- Examples
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“Thanks, Kate,” Bill Bingley said, laying down a screw gun and flatfooting the Coke she handed him.
To perform an action inefficiently or awkwardly.
To wrong-foot.
- Examples
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More examples (1)
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.
Noun
a policeman who patrols a given region
- Broader terms
a foot afflicted with a fallen arch; abnormally flattened and spread out
- Synonyms
- Broader terms