"think on one's feet" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thinks on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thinking on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thought on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thought on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "think<,,thought> on one's feet"
      },
      "expansion": "think on one's feet (third-person singular simple present thinks on one's feet, present participle thinking on one's feet, simple past and past participle thought on one's feet)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          "source": "w"
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          "source": "w"
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        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1901, Henry B. Fuller, chapter 24, in Under the Skylights:",
          "text": "\"There will be wine,\" said Medora. \"Drink it. There may be toasts. Be ready to respond.\"\nAbner could think on his feet—speech would not fail.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "c. 1919, Elbert Hubbard, “Richard Cobden”, in Little Journeys, Volume 9: Great Reformers:",
          "text": "The political canvass had given freedom to his wings; he had learned to think on his feet, to meet interruption, to parry in debate.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 September 16, Karen Crouse, “Covering New Ground, Jets’ Clemens Relies on Deep Roots”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-11-07:",
          "text": "Clemens had to think on his feet, adjust on the run, make split-second decisions and, if he messed up, contend with the consequences.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "When one is in the middle of a process, activity, or conversation, to adjust rapidly, effectively, and intelligently to new developments or changing circumstances."
      ],
      "id": "en-think_on_one's_feet-en-verb-SOSffX7D",
      "links": [
        [
          "adjust",
          "adjust"
        ],
        [
          "rapidly",
          "rapidly"
        ],
        [
          "effectively",
          "effectively"
        ],
        [
          "intelligently",
          "intelligently"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) When one is in the middle of a process, activity, or conversation, to adjust rapidly, effectively, and intelligently to new developments or changing circumstances."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "make it up as one goes along"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "extemporize"
        },
        {
          "word": "improvise"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "adjust rapidly to new developments",
          "word": "ajatella seisaaltaan"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "audio": "En-au-think on one's feet.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/73/En-au-think_on_one%27s_feet.ogg/En-au-think_on_one%27s_feet.ogg.mp3",
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  ],
  "word": "think on one's feet"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "thinks on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thinking on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thought on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "thought on one's feet",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "think<,,thought> on one's feet"
      },
      "expansion": "think on one's feet (third-person singular simple present thinks on one's feet, present participle thinking on one's feet, simple past and past participle thought on one's feet)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "make it up as one goes along"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
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        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "Terms with Finnish translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1901, Henry B. Fuller, chapter 24, in Under the Skylights:",
          "text": "\"There will be wine,\" said Medora. \"Drink it. There may be toasts. Be ready to respond.\"\nAbner could think on his feet—speech would not fail.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "c. 1919, Elbert Hubbard, “Richard Cobden”, in Little Journeys, Volume 9: Great Reformers:",
          "text": "The political canvass had given freedom to his wings; he had learned to think on his feet, to meet interruption, to parry in debate.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007 September 16, Karen Crouse, “Covering New Ground, Jets’ Clemens Relies on Deep Roots”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-11-07:",
          "text": "Clemens had to think on his feet, adjust on the run, make split-second decisions and, if he messed up, contend with the consequences.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "When one is in the middle of a process, activity, or conversation, to adjust rapidly, effectively, and intelligently to new developments or changing circumstances."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "adjust",
          "adjust"
        ],
        [
          "rapidly",
          "rapidly"
        ],
        [
          "effectively",
          "effectively"
        ],
        [
          "intelligently",
          "intelligently"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) When one is in the middle of a process, activity, or conversation, to adjust rapidly, effectively, and intelligently to new developments or changing circumstances."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-think on one's feet.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/73/En-au-think_on_one%27s_feet.ogg/En-au-think_on_one%27s_feet.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/En-au-think_on_one%27s_feet.ogg"
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  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "extemporize"
    },
    {
      "word": "improvise"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "adjust rapidly to new developments",
      "word": "ajatella seisaaltaan"
    }
  ],
  "word": "think on one's feet"
}