The idiom ‘drag your feet’ means to do something very slowly (or delay it) because you don’t want to do it. And by doing this, you are often being unhelpful or uncooperative.
Here are some examples:
The children dragged their feet when it was time to clean their rooms.
The company promised to fix the problem, but they’re dragging their feet and still haven’t done anything.
He knows he should see a doctor but he’s dragging his feet.
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Notice this idiom always uses the plural noun ‘feet’, but the verb ‘drag’ can be used in different tenses and with different subjects.
✅ CORRECT: drag your feet
✅ CORRECT: dragged his feet
❌ INCORRECT: drag your foot
❌ INCORRECT: dragged the feet
So, where does this idiom come from?
The verb ‘drag’ means to pull something (or someone) along with effort or difficulty. So, the literal meaning of ‘drag your feet’ is to walk slowly and unwillingly, like you’re tired or don’t want to go somewhere. Over time, this became the idiom for doing anything slowly because you don’t want to do it.
So, when was a time do didn’t want to do something and ‘dragged your feet’?
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Extra tip! Don’t mistake this idiom with ‘get cold feet’, which means to suddenly feel nervous or afraid to do something you planned—especially before something big like a wedding or presentation. |
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