Idiom – Cold Feet

Meaning –  A fear of doing something. To suddenly become too frightened to do something that you had planned to do. The idiom cold feet is used to refer to a sudden nervousness about something you are about to do. It is often used to describe someone who is having second thoughts about a decision or commitment they have made.

Note: The expression ‘second thoughts‘ means to reconsider a decision or opinion.

This expression is often used before important life events – especially before tying the knot (idiom).

Similarly, the expression chicken out (idiom) can refer to someone who finds a way to avoid doing something because they are afraid. If you have cold feet you may experience butterflies in the stomach (idiom).

Usage:

When could you use this idiom?

• When feeling fearful or having doubts about getting married or engaged.
• Before performing on stage or giving a speech in front of a group of people.
• If you having second thoughts about doing a parachute jump or bungee jump.

Example:

• “I hope she doesn’t get cold feet before the wedding next week.”

In The News:

San Francisco is getting cold feet about self-driving car tests

Discuss:

• Is there an idiom like this in your country?

What is an idiom?

An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally.  An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.

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