footwork

[ foo t-wurk ]

/ ˈfʊtˌwɜrk /

the use of the feet, as in tennis, boxing, or dancing.

travel by foot from one place to another, as in gathering facts or fulfilling an assignment; legwork: The project entailed a great deal of footwork.

the act or process of maneuvering, especially in a skillful manner: It took a bit of fancy footwork to avoid the issue.

Origin of footwork

First recorded in 1560–70; foot + work

footstool, footwall, footway, footwear, footwell, footwork, footworn, footy, foozle, fop, foppery

Smedinghoff sought to make herself more credible by brushing up on her own footwork after-hours.

Anne Smedinghoff, the Hero Diplomat We Lost in Afghanistan |Michael Daly |April 9, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Shuffling around the ring he has the footwork of a tyrannosaurus.

Vitali Klitschko Contemplates Bowing Out of the Ring and Entering Ukrainian Politics |Gordon Marino |March 26, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
“Footwork” dancers trade spontaneous steps, competing with each other inside a circle of rapt onlookers.

Why Chicago Is Now America's Hottest City |Raymond Sokolov |February 28, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
"It doesn't take a lot of footwork to wire money and transfer client funds from one office to another," said the London source.

Was Madoff 'Victim' and Best Friend an Accomplice? |Lucinda Franks |April 23, 2009 |DAILY BEAST

Despite his greater size, Treadwell was himself nimble and an adept at footwork.

Dave Darrin's Second Year at Annapolis |H. Irving Hancock
A net was put up on the field, and for an hour or so they beat about, regardless of science and footwork.

The Loom of Youth |Alec Waugh
It was all footwork and their progress was very slow, but eventually they won through.

Kindred of the Dust |Peter B. Kyne
Now footwork was one of the fighting tricks for which Darry was famous.

Dave Darrin's Second Year at Annapolis |H. Irving Hancock
This last escaped Reade as he blocked the blow, and again displayed a neat little bit of footwork.

The Young Engineers in Arizona |H. Irving Hancock

footwork

/ (ˈfʊtˌwɜːk) /

skilful use of the feet, as in sports, dancing, etc

informal clever manoeuvring deft political footwork

informal preliminary groundwork many estate agents now do the footwork – you only need to visit