What is the Meaning of the Expression ‘Get off on the Wrong Foot’?

To get off the wrong foot means to have a bad start in an activity; to begin a relationship on a bad note.

The ‘wrong foot’ refers to the left foot. There is an ancient superstition that the left side of the body is connected with bad luck and evil. It is because of this belief that the Romans sometimes placed guards at the entrances to ensure that people entered them with their right foot first.

Anyone entering with his left foot was seen with suspicion. So, to get off on the wrong foot means to start a relationship badly.

For example —

“I have a feeling that your father and I got off on the wrong foot. I didn’t know he hated jokes.”

It means that I cracked a joke, your father didn’t like that and now I think he doesn’t like me.

There’s one more phrase that I want to discuss here — ‘To be caught on the wrong foot’.

It means to be unprepared for a sudden change of situation; to not be ready to handle an unexpected happening.

Once again, the “wrong foot” here is the left foot which is considered less dominant than the right foot. So, if you are caught on the wrong foot, you are caught unprepared for something.

For example —

‘Our company was caught on the wrong foot by the government imposed crypto-currency ban.’

It means that we were completely unprepared for the ban on cryptocurrency.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.