back footn.adj.
/ˌbak ˈfʊt/, U.S. /ˌbæk ˈfʊt/ A. n.
1.
a. The foot which is placed further back when a particular stance or posture is adopted, or when a particular action is performed. In later use often in the context of sport or dancing.
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a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1957) v. vi. 65 Helymus, quhamto held evir neir Dyores, quhidderand at hys bak fute hait.
1758 Polite Acad. 57 Join the back Foot to the Fore-one, then sink gently; and rise up again gradually.
1860 New Sporting Mag. Feb. 102 The front foot..should rest on the outside edge; and the back foot on the inside.
1876 N. Melbourne Advertiser 26 May Bring the back foot up to the fifth position behind.
1949 G. Shurr & R. D. Yocom Mod. Dance v. 165 In the leap, the push-off from back foot onto the forward foot, gives impetus to the leap.
1959 E. Allen Baseball Play & Strategy ii. xii. 177 Some players face the pitcher with their front foot farther from the plate than the back foot.
2005 C. Mitchell-Taverner Field Hockey Techniques & Tactics 77 The ball is positioned slightly behind your back foot.
b. spec. Cricket. The foot closest to the wicket when the batter stands at the crease. Esp. in off (also on) the back foot: with the batter moving backwards before striking the ball; with the foot closest to the wicket bearing most of the weight of the batter's body.
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1869 Kind Words 29 Apr. 134/2 Stand with the toe of the back foot well behind the popping crease.
1895 Riverine Herald (Echuca, Victoria) 30 Oct. A great many batsmen..lift the back foot, and a sharp wicket-keeper takes the bails off like a shot.
1905 G. W. Beldam & C. B. Fry Great Batsmen i. 236 As a rule these strokes, when played..on the on-side, [are played] off the back foot.
1945 Cricketer 16 June 114/2 For forward play, a bold step with the left foot as near as possible to the ball; for back play, a definite step with the back foot.
2000 Times 3 Aug. i. 35/5 Brown had just imperiously struck Smethurst off the back foot to the extra cover boundary.
c. Chiefly British, Australian, and New Zealand. on the back foot: (originally Boxing) in a defensive position or stance; (hence figurative) at a disadvantage; on the defensive. Often in to put (also get, catch, etc.) (a person) on the back foot and variants: to gain an advantage over (a competitor or opponent); to get the better of (a person or group).
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1924 Referee (Sydney) 20 Feb. 10/1 Throwing punch after punch, as if he had any amount of vigor stored up, he had the taller lad on the back foot, using every inch of ring space to get away from the little terrier.
1954 North West Champion (Moree, New S. Wales) 11 Oct. 5 This fellow had the leading player more on the ‘back foot’ in their last meeting than any other time for two years.
1968 G. Slatter Pagan Game 110 The woodwork instructor always referring to academic wallahs as though he were very much on the back foot for being a wood butcher.
1998 P. Grace Baby No-eyes (1999) xxx. 231 If we could get the Council even more on the back foot it would be an advantage.
2016 Daily Rec. (Glasgow) (Nexis) 13 Dec. (Sport section) 52 We were 3-0 down after 10 or 11 minutes. That put us on the back foot to say the least.
2. The lower part of one of the rear legs of a chair, table, or other object.
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society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > furniture and fittings > [noun] > parts of furniture generally > foot > specific part
back foot1618
sabot1962
1618 W. Lawson New Orchard & Garden xi. 41 A Ladder..with two backe feete.
1754 T. Chippendale Gentleman & Cabinet-maker's Director 5 Give the breadth of the back foot at the bottom.
1791 Oracle 2 May The Throne for the Chair..ascends by two steps... The back feet are fluted columns.
1818 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 14 May The back feet..are square, and 2 inches thick.
1884 Carpentry & Building Aug. 150/3 The back feet will require 2-inch stuff.
1912 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 24 Aug. 260/2 A bedstead..named the Balcony. Its back feet have small wheels.
2013 Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) (Nexis) 5 Sept. Shakers began making their own chairs for their communities.., adding tilters to the back feet and perfecting the form.
3. Usually in plural. Any of the hind feet of an animal or other organism; esp. either of the hind feet of a quadruped.
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the world > animals > animal body > general parts > body and limbs > [noun] > paw or foot > hind foot
pes1842
back foot1849
1849 C. J. Hempel Hartmann's Theory Chronic Dis. (new ed.) III. 12 The back feet [of the animalcule causing scabies] are..cylindrical and without clasp-plates.
1872 Sydney Morning Herald 22 Jan. 1/5 Lost,..a Newfoundland dog, black and white, a scar on the back foot.
1935 Sci. News Let. 15 June 383/3 The manatee or sea-cow..has flippers in place of fore-feet and only rudimentary signs of back feet.
1973 N. Bawden Carrie's War vi. 71 [The cow] swished her tail and danced a little on her dainty back feet.
2001 Cats Feb. 52/1 In a perfect Snowshoe, the boots should extend..to just below the hock joint on the back feet.
B. adj. (attributive).
Cricket. Designating a shot played from close to the wicket, with the foot closest to the wicket bearing most of the weight of the body. Also: designating a batter who typically or frequently plays such shots.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > batting > [adjective] > types of batting
cross-batted1577
steady1826
poking1836
free1851
wrist shot1851
fast-footed1853
wristy1867
stonewall1880
forcing1888
poky1888
firm-footed1907
back foot1936
1936 Advertiser (Adelaide) 16 Mar. 12/4 Waite scored two fours off Collins with beautiful back-foot off drives.
1983 J. Arlott How to watch Cricket 61 No great batsman is solely a back-foot or a front-foot player.
2002 Times 22 Aug. (Business section) 35/8 Gough played some fine back-foot shots.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2017; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.adj.a1522