On one's hands and knees meaning in English
Learn how to use On one's hands and knees correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to be on one's hands and knees: to have hands and knees on the floor, in a crawling position
I found Icarus on his hands and knees, looking for his stapler. He thought it was under his desk.
Examples
- "Kevin Connors: Found him in the break room, on his hands and knees, searching for loose change under the coffee machine."
Exercise 1
Polly writes she found Kevin "on his hands and knees". This means that Kevin was in the break room.
Polly writes she found Kevin "on his hands and knees". This means that Kevin was crawling around in the break room.
crawling around: The idiom "to be on one's hands and knees" means to "crawl around" (on the floor for example). Babies crawl before they learn to walk.
on his four feet: We cannot say this in English, mainly because people do not have four "feet"! This is unidiomatic.
wasting time: The idiom "to be on one's hands and knees" does not express that someone is "wasting time". It is actually a description of a physical state.
very agitated: The idiom "to be on one's hands and knees" does not express that someone is "very agitated". It is actually a description of a physical state.
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