flatfoot

n.

1. pl., -feet (-fēt'). A condition in which the arch of the foot is abnormally flattened down so that the entire sole makes contact with the ground.
2. pl., -foots.
   1. Informal. A person with flat feet.
   2. Slang. A police officer.

intr.v., -foot·ed, -foot·ing, -foots.
To walk in a flat-footed manner: "He flatfooted along, twirling his club" (James T. Farrell).

(FLAT-foot)

noun
1. A condition of the foot in which the arch of the instep is flattened and the entire sole touches the ground.
2. A police officer.

Etymology
Originally sense 2 referred to a foot soldier. In the past the term has been applied to sailors, and to police officers who walked on patrol. Today, it refers to any police officer and even to a detective.

Usage
"Feel free to note the obvious. I am indeed the last person in the world who should be falling in love with the cops. Like most black men my age, I'm a serial cop-hater, armed with an astonishing array of ill encounters with flatfoots. Young black male rule number 4,080: when you see Jake strolling down your side of the street, get your English proper and cross to the other side." — Ta-Nehisi Coates; Black for Blue; Village Voice (New York); Feb 18, 2004.

"Despite almost annual announcements that they would bury the hatchet, the two spy agencies usually reverted to using it again on each other. To the CIA, the FBI were 'Foreign Born Irish,' poorly educated flatfoots whose in-your-face investigating style blew many leads to KGB schemes. To the FBI, the CIA's view of law enforcement was so relaxed that it verged on the unconscious.' John Fialka; Spies vs. Spies: U.S. Intelligence Divided; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Nov 11, 1994.

---

For more information on flatfoot, visit Britannica.com.

noun

A member of a law-enforcement agency: bluecoat, finest, officer, patrolman, patrolwoman, peace officer, police, policeman, police officer, policewoman. Informal cop, law. Slang bull¹, copper, fuzz, gendarme, heat, man (often uppercase). Chiefly British bobby, constable, peeler. See law.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - platfod
v. intr. - gå på flad fod

Nederlands (Dutch)
platvoet, politieagent (in de wijk), zeeman

Français (French)
n. - (Méd) pied plat, policier
v. intr. - marcher de manière lourde et maladroite

Deutsch (German)
n. - Plattfuß, (Slang) Polizist
v. - (Part. Perf.) unvorbereitet, plump (Schreibstil)

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (καθομ.) μπασκίνας, μπάτσος

Italiano (Italian)
piedipiatti, poliziotto

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pé (m) chato (Anat.)

Русский (Russian)
мусор

Español (Spanish)
n. - pie plano
v. intr. - tener pie plano

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - plattfot, snut (sl.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
扁平足, 警察, 拖着脚步走

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 扁平足, 警察
v. intr. - 拖著腳步走

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 경찰관
v. intr. - 경찰관이 되다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 偏平足, 扁平足

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قدم مسحاء أو منبسطه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שוטר, רגל שטוחה‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.