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off someone's feet

  1. sweep or carry or knock off someone's feet . Overwhelm someone emotionally; infatuate someone; make a very favorable impression on someone. For example, Winning first prize knocked her off her feet , or With his little gifts and gallant behavior, he swept her off her feet , or That fine speech carried him off his feet . The term using sweep dates from about 1900, carry from the mid-1800s, and knock from the early 1900s.

  2. run or rush someone off his or her feet . Work someone to the point of exhaustion, hurry or pressure someone, as in With all the preparations, they've been running me off my feet , or The waiters were rushed off their feet . These hyperbolic expressions allude to running or hurrying so much that one falls down. The first dates from the mid-1800s; the second was first recorded as rushed off one's legs in 1916.



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