flatfoot

noun

1. (in-plural)A condition in which the arch of the foot makes contact with the ground.
2. A person having the above condition.
3. (archaic, colloquial, derogatory)(plural typically flatfoots) A policeman.
4. (US, informal, slang)A sailor.

verb

1. To walk around in the course of work, especially when investigating.

   “And even if they didn't know about her they might know this was his old neighborhood and go flatfooting around asking.”

   “Meanwhile, a bobby placidly flatfooting his beat a few feet away recognized Marlene under the street lamp and naturally assumed the girls had too, and were merely trying to get her autograph.”

   “I'd spent a very long day flatfooting it round housing estates near Old Street, looking for a twelve-year-old boy who I'd never managed to find though the police eventually had, two weeks later.”

2. To dance in the style of Appalachian clogging.

   “Casewell, George, and Steve had the crowd flatfooting across the floor in no time.”

3. To gulp an entire drink (bottle, glass, can, etc.) without pausing between swallows.

   ““Thanks, Kate,” Bill Bingley said, laying down a screw gun and flatfooting the Coke she handed him.”

4. To perform an action inefficiently or awkwardly.
5. To wrong-foot.

   “In the event they lacked a proper midfield bolt, with Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira huffing around in pursuit of the whizzing green machine. The centre-backs looked flustered, left to deal with three on two as Mexico broke. Löw’s 4-2-3-1 seemed antiquated and creaky, with the old World Cup shark Thomas Müller flat-footed in a wide position.”