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Thread: I have two left feet

  1. #1
    keannu is offline Key Member
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    Default I have two left feet

    Can you apply "two left feet" to sports or any kind of other physical activities except dancing when you are not good at them? If not, what else do you have?

    ex)When it comes to dancing, I have two left feet.

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    JMurray is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: I have two left feet

    I've only ever heard "two left feet" in relation to dancing but I can imagine it being used in other contexts.
    Some other informal terms for physically inept or uncoordinated:
    "clumsy clot", "bumbler", "bumblefoot", "stumblebum", "klutz", "bull in a china shop", "butterfingers", "ham-fisted" and as in your earlier post "all thumbs" and "all fingers and thumbs".

    not a teacher
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    Default Re: I have two left feet

    Quote Originally Posted by keannu View Post
    Can you apply "two left feet" to sports or any kind of other physical activities except dancing when you are not good at them? If not, what else do you have?

    ex)When it comes to dancing, I have two left feet.
    I've never heard it applied to anything but dancing.
    If you said, "I can't skate (ski, cycle); I have two left feet", you'd probably be understood. But you could expect as an answer, "Then you probably don't dance either."
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    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: I have two left feet

    I have heard it used about football, but don't follow it so can't say how normal this is.

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    keannu is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: I have two left feet

    Quote Originally Posted by JMurray View Post
    I've only ever heard "two left feet" in relation to dancing but I can imagine it being used in other contexts.
    Some other informal terms for physically inept or uncoordinated:
    "clumsy clot", "bumbler", "bumblefoot", "stumblebum", "klutz", "bull in a china shop", "butterfingers", "ham-fisted" and as in your earlier post "all thumbs" and "all fingers and thumbs".

    not a teacher
    Especially for sports, How do you say? Are the expressions "You are a good(poor) athlete" or "motor nerve(this might be anatomical)" or something?

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    JMurray is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: I have two left feet

    Especially for sports, How do you say? Are the expressions "You are a good(poor) athlete" or "motor nerve(this might be anatomical)" or something?

    Not quite sure what you're looking for here. Of course you can always just say that someone is a fine/top/first class/superior athlete. And on the contrary is a poor/weak/inferior/second-rate athlete, unathletic, uncoordinated etc.
    With motor neurons, fast-twitch fibres and the like, you're entering the area of anatomical terminology.
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