# which foot the shoe is on

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/which-foot-the-shoe-is-on
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Which point of view is considered or whose interests are used as a basis.

## Examples

- I need to know which foot the shoe is on before I decide.
- When the manager changed the rules, we had to figure out which foot the shoe was on regarding our overtime pay.
- The legal team spent hours debating the contract, struggling to determine which foot the shoe was on in terms of liability for the project's failure.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.