Timeline for What does 'lose one's step' mean?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
11 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2019 at 15:30 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | ...but But lose your step is rare compared to lose your footing, which was the main point I was making. | |
| Dec 19, 2019 at 15:30 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @puppetsockreinstateMonica: It's true that march in step is far more common than dance in step.... | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 21:37 | vote | accept | Sergey Zolotarev | ||
| Dec 18, 2019 at 19:52 | comment | added | puppetsock | @FumbleFingersReinstateMonica To "keep in step" would be more like to stay in formation in marching. That is, a group of soldiers march "in lock step." | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 15:32 | answer | added | Foogod | timeline score: 2 | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 15:18 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @puppetsockreinstateMonica: I'd have thought that would normally be to keep in step. But I'm not from the land of the line-dancers (the US), so I wouldn't really know. | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 15:16 | comment | added | puppetsock | I think it comes out of group dancing. To "keep one's step" would mean to keep putting your feet (your step) where the dance pattern indicates. So it means, keep up with what you are meant to be doing, in correct time and in the correct order. | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 15:06 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | It's not a particularly common idiomatic use with the sense of losing one's momentum, willingness / ability (to continue) - i.e. Don't give up. Most written instances of Don't lose your step actually carry the sense more often expressed by Don't lose your footing (be careful not to slip / trip over). But song lyrics often feature "unusual" phrasing, and it's not always important that everyone should understand the exact same meaning for any given expression (if they even bother thinking to that level of detail anyway). | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 14:29 | answer | added | William A. | timeline score: 0 | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 14:21 | comment | added | Smock | Yeah - basically 'Don't falter now' | |
| Dec 18, 2019 at 13:53 | history | asked | Sergey Zolotarev | CC BY-SA 4.0 |