be on the back foot

To be in a position of disadvantage, retreat, or defeat. A large portion of our funding was cut at the last minute, so this project has been on the back foot from the get-go. The once-dominant airline company has been on the back foot ever since several no-frills competitors entered the market.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Destinee	DES-tə-nee	English (Modern)
Margaretta	mahr-gə-RET-ə	English
Burrows	['bʌrəuz]
Earlene	URL-een	English
Adrastea	-	Greek Mythology (Latinized)
Gustaw	GUWS-tahf	Polish