Tiptoeing

/ˈtɪptoʊɪŋ/ verb

Definition

Walking quietly on the tips of one's toes, or handling a situation very carefully to avoid offending or alerting someone.

Etymology

From 'tip' (the pointed end, from Old English) plus 'toe.' The phrase 'on tiptoe' emerged in the 1600s. The verb form developed as a metaphor for cautious behavior by the 1800s.

Kelly Says

The metaphorical use of 'tiptoeing' around subjects reveals how our bodies teach our language—we literally tiptoe to move quietly, so we borrowed the word to describe moving carefully through social situations.

Translations

ARالعربية
مشي على أطراف الأصابع
ma.ʃi ʿa.la ʾaṭ.raf al.ʾaṣ.ā.bɛʿ
CSČeština
chodit na špičkách
xo.dɪt na ʃpɪt͡ʃ.kax
DADansk
gå på tåspidsen
go pa toːspesn
DEDeutsch
auf Zehenspitzen gehend
aʊf ˈt͡seːən.ʃpɪt͡sən ɡeːənt
ELΕλληνικά
περπατώντας στα δάχτυλα
per.pa.tó.n tas daˈxti.la
ESEspañol
andando de puntas
an.ˈdaŋ.do de ˈpun.tas
FISuomi
kävellä varpaiden päällä
kæ.vel.læ ˈvɑr.pɑ.i.den pæːl.læ
FRFrançais
marchant sur la pointe des pieds
maʁ.ʃɑ̃ syʁ la pwɛ̃t de pje
HEעברית
הליכה על קצות האצבעות
ha.li.kha ʿal ka.t͡sot ha.ʾɛt͡s.ba.ʿot
HIहिन्दी
पंजों के बल पर चलना
pan.joṅ ke bal par cal.nā
HUMagyar
ujjhegyen járás
u.jhe.ɟen jaː.raːʃ
IDBahasa Indonesia
berjalan dengan ujung kaki
bər.dʒa.lan dɛŋ.ɛn u.dʒuŋ ka.ki
ITItaliano
camminando in punta di piedi
kam.miˈnaːndo in ˈpun.t̪a di ˈpjeː.di
JA日本語
足先で歩く
a.shi.sa.ki de a.ru.ku
KO한국어
발끝으로 걷다
bal.kkeom.e.ro geot.da
NLNederlands
op de tenen lopen
ɔp de ˈteː.nən loː.pən
NONorsk
gå på tåspissen
go pa toːspɪsːn
PLPolski
chodzenie na palcach
xɔˈd͡ʑeɲɛ na ˈpal.t͡sax
PTPortuguês
andando na ponta dos pés
ɐ̃.ˈdaŋ.du nɐ ˈpɔ̃.tɐ duʃ ˈpɛs
RORomână
a merge pe vârfuri
a mer.dʒe pe vɨr.fu.rʲi
RUРусский
идя на цыпочках
iˈdʲa na t͡sɨˈpot͡ʃ.kax
SVSvenska
gå på tå
go pa.to
THไทย
เดินบนปลายเท้า
deːn bɔn pla.j tʰɛːo
TRTürkçe
ayak uçlarında yürümek
a.jak u.t͡ʃlar.ɯnda jʏ.rʏ.mek
UKУкраїнська
ходіння на ципках
xo.dɪn.nʲa na t͡sɪp.kax
VITiếng Việt
đi trên ngón chân
ʔɗi ʔɗəŋ ŋoŋ t͡ɕan
ZH中文
踮脚尖走
diǎn jiǎo jiān zǒu

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