Don't Say This: "To Step Foot"

Bad English just bugs me, so I'm writing this blog. This will be a place for me to sound off about incorrect expressions I read and hear, and I'll offer an alternative that will sound better, and be correct. If you are like me, incorrect expressions create a sensation of irritation. I worry that if they go unchallenged, with the lamentable state of public education in America, the language will deteriorate. If you find grammar pedantry annoying, then don't read on.

If you are still reading, then welcome! And here goes...

 

I read "I haven't even stepped foot" today in a column written by someone I presume has some kind of degree in journalism or writing or English, so there is no excuse.

 

There's no such expression as "to step foot," or, if there is, then let's boot it out of common parlance. See what I did there with the foot and boot? Uh-huh.

The proper expression is 'to set foot.'

 

'To step foot' is redundant. The verb 'step' contains the concept of 'foot.' I mean, you can't step with your hands, right? You only step with your feet, so that's one reason 'to step foot' is just plain incorrect.

 

I think people who say "step foot" just misheard the proper expression the first time they heard it, and they haven't thought too deeply about the words they use since. Yes, I'm opinionated, and I believe people who say "step foot" shouldn't have a career in writing.

 

Words have specific meanings, which makes them a wonderfully rich and precise medium of expression. I love that the English language has always admitted new words rather than restricting them as the Academie Francais attempts to do. With more words, more possibilities, there is in English the opportunity to select the proper word, and to be exact.

 

When you think about it, that expression, 'to set foot' is nice and delicate. When you want to convey that you haven't gone to a particular place and you say "I haven't set foot there" you have invoked some pleasant hyperbole. The implication is you haven't even begun to go there, you haven't gotten close, you haven't even set your foot there. The verb 'to set' implies a light touch, a deliberateness, a sense of taking care in the doing of something. If you say "step foot," not only are you being redundant and not entirely making sense, but you've lost all that nice delicacy of the original proper expression.

So let's not tromp all over the English language with big muddy boots. Let's tread lightly, gingerly. Let's give English some love.

That is all for now. Thanks for stopping by! Please comment below if you are so moved, and feel free to suggest topics for this blog.