Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
to assign to a duty; to station; to publicize; to advertise
recover
conceal
post
succeed
full quiz correct answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   Album   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
meaning of "could do worse than" | knowledge or knowledges?
listening exercisestell a friend
Message
Author
What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #1 (permalink) Tue May 06, 2008 19:50 pm   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

Hello everybody,

What does it mean when something is too light on its feet?

I came across this expression a few days ago and I'm not quite sure I understood it (I'm not a native speaker).

Thank you for any help!
Babyface
New Member


Joined: 07 Nov 2007
Posts: 4

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #2 (permalink) Tue May 06, 2008 22:07 pm   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

Hello Babyface,

At first glance, it appears to mean "unstable; liable to topple over" – either literally or metaphorically.

Can you remember the full context of the phrase?

Best wishes,

MrP
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England

Learn to use the present simple with the help of this short storyEnglish grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsAre you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!How many different ways with words do you know? Subscribe to free email English course
What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #3 (permalink) Wed May 07, 2008 7:41 am   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

Thank you MrPedantic!

I'm afraid I can't remember the full context in which it was said, but what you wrote makes perfect sense. What I thought at first is that perhaps it means "not serious enough" or "lightweight" or something of that sort. The point is that it sounded to me like something with a negative connotation, but not being a native speaker, I can't be sure about it. Was my intuition right?
Babyface
New Member


Joined: 07 Nov 2007
Posts: 4

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #4 (permalink) Wed May 07, 2008 8:06 am   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

Then let's wait for some native speakers' ideas ;)
_________________
:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...
Nessie
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Feb 2008
Posts: 1102

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #5 (permalink) Wed May 07, 2008 11:36 am   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

.
MrPedantic is a native speaker, Nessie.
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8316
Location: USA

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #6 (permalink) Wed May 07, 2008 22:38 pm   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

babyface wrote:
The point is that it sounded to me like something with a negative connotation, but not being a native speaker, I can't be sure about it. Was my intuition right?


Hello babyface,

Yes, I think your intuition was right. In ordinary usage, "too X" tends to mean "superfluously or excessively X". If the adjective X is neutral, therefore, the connotation tends to be negative.

If the adjective itself has positive connotations, on the other hand, "too X" may also have positive connotations, e.g.

1. You're too kind!

which means "you are abundantly kind".

Best wishes,

MrP

PS: A cheery Wednesday evening to Yankee and Nessie.
MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England

What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean? #7 (permalink) Thu May 08, 2008 0:44 am   What does the expression "too light on its feet" mean?
 

.
Thanks, MrP. Hope your evening is (was?) cheery, too. :D
.
_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8316
Location: USA

Display posts from previous:   
meaning of "could do worse than" | knowledge or knowledges?
ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on English Forums
an vs aSentence correction: I feel sad that we have a stupid in our family memberA special usage of Future simple tense?Placement of "that".place vs space vs roomUsage of the word siblingdevelopment vs improvementanything or somethingGrammar exercise: Put the words in orderMistake finding: Forgery, in law, is the fabrication or altering of a written...Fragment revision: could and wouldError correction: My brother has been getting so nervous with me recently...Is the announcement OK?

 
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail