What does it mean to be hot on your heels?
If you say that someone is hot on your heels, you are emphasizing that they are chasing you and are not very far behind you.
What does it mean to be on your heels?
1. (Following) very close behind one, often persistently and to one’s annoyance. I’m a preschool teacher, so I’ve had toddlers on my heels all day.
What does it mean to be on someone’s heels?
Immediately behind, in close pursuit
Also, on someone’s heels. Immediately behind, in close pursuit. This idiom is used both literally, as in Jean’s dog was always at her heels, and figuratively, as in Although his company dominated the technology, he always felt that his competitors were on his heels.
What does it mean to be back on your heels?
surprise or shock someone
or rock someone back on their heels. to surprise or shock someone, and often put them at a disadvantage.
What does to cool one’s heels mean?
to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something. They cooled their heels at the table for almost half an hour before the waiter appeared.
What does it mean on the heels of?
Directly behind, immediately following, as in Mom’s birthday comes on the heels of Mother’s Day, or Hard on the heels of the flood there was a tornado. The hard in the variant acts as an intensifier, giving it the sense of “close on the heels of”. [Early 1800s] Also see at one’s heels.
What does it mean to put someone on their heels?
To put someone into a state of surprise, unease, or bemusement, especially such that it affects their ability to perform or function. The sudden arrest of one of our teammates last night certainly put us back on our heels, and we weren’t able to play to the best of our abilities this morning.
What does it mean to be on the back foot?
on the back foot at a disadvantage; outmanoeuvred or outclassed by an opponent.
What does gasped out mean?
gasped out. DEFINITIONS1. to say something while you are breathing with difficulty, for example because you need more air, or are in pain. He managed to gasp out the enemy’s location before collapsing. Synonyms and related words.
What does rock back on one’s heels mean?
to astonish or be astonished
rock back on one’s heels in British English to astonish or be astonished. See full dictionary entry for heel.
Where does the expression cool your heels come from?
“Cool your heels” comes from the way your feet cool down after you stop walking.