"one step forward, two steps back" meaning in All languages combined

See one step forward, two steps back on Wiktionary

Noun [English]

Etymology: Derived from the idiom "two steps forward, one step back", which originates with an anecdote about a frog in a well. Head templates: {{head|en|noun}} one step forward, two steps back
  1. (idiomatic) A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments. Tags: idiomatic
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  "head_templates": [
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  "lang_code": "en",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "We got all the roofing removed, but the chimney was damaged and we discovered that some rafters had to be replaced. One step forward, two steps back. Or maybe three.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments."
      ],
      "id": "en-one_step_forward,_two_steps_back-en-noun-hX4swq7R",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments."
      ],
      "tags": [
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  "word": "one step forward, two steps back"
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{
  "etymology_text": "Derived from the idiom \"two steps forward, one step back\", which originates with an anecdote about a frog in a well.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "noun"
      },
      "expansion": "one step forward, two steps back",
      "name": "head"
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  ],
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      ],
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        "A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "one step forward, two steps back"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-09-22 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-09-20 using wiktextract (af5c55c and 66545a6). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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