on the back foot | Idiomator

Meaning: (cricket,of a batsman)Having the weight on theback footin order to play adefensivestroke; (idiomatic,Commonwealth)in adefensiveposture;on the defensive;off balance; at adisadvantage.2003, Val McDermid,The distant echo, page184:Lawson wasn't going to be puton the back footby Brian Duff. "I don't know what you're on about. But I've kept my nose clean for over twenty years.2005, Clare Naylor with Mimi Hare,The Second Assistant: A Tale from the Bottom of the Hollywood Ladder, page289:Now I was the oneon the back foot. He liked me. "Really?" "I'd like to take you out when we're back in LA"2008, Sue Limb,Zoe & Chloe on the Prowl, page112:She wason the back footnow. I had taken the initiative good and proper.2017August 25, Euan McKirdy et al, "Arrest warrant to be issued for former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra", in edition.cnn.com,CNN:Thitinan said Yingluck's decision to skip the verdict hearing will have "emboldened" the military government. "They would not have wanted to put her in jail, in this scenario, (but her not showing up today) puts heron the back footand gives them an edge."2021November 17, William Barter, “Will ten platforms do for HS2 at Euston terminus?”, inRAIL, number944, page33:HS2 Ltd is presumablyon the back footin its relations with Government, because of its cost increases.

Examples:

EN: Swivel on the back foot, throw your hips, and keep your eye on the ball.
ES: Giran sobre el pie de atrás, caderas al frente y ojos en la pelota.
EN: You know, when we enter a building to make an arrest, it's a step into the unknown and that puts us on the back foot.
ES: Cuando entramos en un edificio para efectuar un arresto, es un paso a lo desconocido, entramos con el pie cambiado.
EN: You're on the back foot, guv.
ES: Estás con el pie cambiado, jefe
EN: But if you can draw them out, then they're on the back foot line.
ES: Pero si lo podemos sacar, están ellos con el pie cambiado
EN: They really gotta make sure that they stay in the pack, don't make some dumb mistake which suddenly drops them a few miles behind, and then they're on the back foot.
ES: Tienen que asegurarse de mantenerse en el grupo, no cometer un error tonto que de pronto los deje a unos kilómetros atrás y luego empezarán a estar a la defensiva.
EN: Five and a half put her on the back foot.
ES: La habría puesto a la defensiva.
EN: If we get Clyde Mason, it will save countless lives and put the suppliers of drugs on the back foot.
ES: Si tenemos a Clyde Mason, se salvarán innumerables vidas, y pondremos a los proveedores de drogas a la defensiva.
EN: Pivot on the back foot.
ES: Gira sobre el pie trasero.
EN: Let's just do the cord. ¶ waiting on the back foot ¶
ES: Vamos con el cordón.
EN: We did it. ¶ we were waiting on the back foot ¶ ¶ waiting on the back foot, waiting for the monster... ¶
ES: Lo hicimos. ¿Qué hacemos aquí, Dink?
ES: Lo hicimos. ¿Qué hacemos aquí, Dink?
EN: Catherine manages to put me on the back foot from "hello. "
ES: Catherine logra ponerme a la defensiva con un simple "hola".
EN: With Adam and Jamie on the back foot and annika in position of the candy the guys are forced into a change of tactics.
ES: Con Adam y Jamie en el pie trasero y Annika en posición de los dulces a los chicos se ven obligados a un cambio de tácticas.
EN: Charlton are really on the back foot here.
ES: Charlton está a la defensiva aquí.
EN: But he knew I'd said it to Stelikos and it was the first thing he did, so I was on the back foot, panicking through the whole thing, talking shite, babbling like an idiot.
ES: Pero sabía lo que le había dicho a Stelikos y fue lo primero que dijo, para que empezara con mal pie, con pánico durante todo el asunto, diciendo gilipolleces, farfullando como una idiota.
EN: They were on the back foot.
ES: Estaban a la defensiva.

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