The bride got cold feet and called off the wedding at the last minute.
word origin — From American slang in the late 1800s — soldiers feared their feet going cold from cowardly retreat.
get cold feet, keep your chin up, put your foot down, turn a blind eye to something, keep an eye on something: meanings and examples
Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 15. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.
get cold feet · idiom/ɡɛt koʊld fit/
to become frightened about doing something
The bride got cold feet and called off the wedding at the last minute.
Origin: From American slang in the late 1800s — soldiers feared their feet going cold from cowardly retreat.
keep your chin up · idiom/kip jʊr tʃɪn ʌp/
to be brave and not give up
You're going to have hard days on this long journey but you've got to keep your chin up and stay positive.
Origin: From early 1900s sports culture — lifting the chin shows confidence, opposite to a defeated downward gaze.
put your foot down · idiom/pʊt jʊr fʊt daʊn/
to make your decision about something and state it firmly
My daughter's spending started to get out of control, so I decided to put my foot down.
Origin: From the 1500s — putting your foot firmly down literally marks a position you refuse to move from.
turn a blind eye to something · idiom/tɜrn ə blaɪnd aɪ/
to ignore something and pretend that you do not know about it
All these politicians choose to turn a blind eye to all the violence and destruction going on.
Origin: Attributed to Admiral Nelson at the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen — he held a telescope to his blind eye to ignore orders.
keep an eye on something · idiom/kip ən aɪ ɔn/
to watch or pay attention to something
Could you keep an eye on my luggage while I go get a cup of coffee?
Origin: Used in English since the 1300s — refers to maintaining attention with one eye while focusing the other elsewhere.