set back on one's heels
Surprise, shock, or disconcert, as in The news of their divorce set us back on our heels. This idiom, with its graphic image of someone being pushed back, dates from the first half of the 1900s.
Words nearby set back on one's heels
set apart,
set aside,
set at,
set at rest,
set back,
set back on one's heels,
set back the clock,
set by,
set chisel,
set down,
set eyes on