Adjective
on all fours (not comparable)
- (idiomatic) On one's hands and knees.
1897, Joseph Conrad, chapter 3, in The Nigger Of The ‘Narcissus’:A bulky form was seen rising aft, and began marching on all fours with the movements of some big cautious beast.
1916, Elbert Hubbard, “Johannes Brahms”, in Little Journeys Vol. 14: Great Musicians:He was on all fours, with three children on his back, riding him for a horse.
- (idiomatic, often followed by "with") In a manner which is similar in nature or effect to something else; consistent.
1919, Jefferson Carter (aka Stanley John Weyman), “V The Swamp Fox”, in Madam Constantia:While he brought the ink to the bedside, I read the form and found it on all fours with what he had said.
1920, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 21, in Letters of Travel:The new law was precisely on all-fours with the Homestead Act.
Translations
on hands and knees
- Basque: lau hankan (eu)
- Catalan: de quatre grapes, a quatre grapes (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 四肢著地, 四肢着地 (sìzhī zháodì, sìzhī zhuódì)
- Esperanto: kvargambe
- Estonian: neljakäpakil
- Finnish: nelinkontin (fi), kontallaan (fi)
- French: à quatre pattes (fr)
- German: auf allen vieren (de)
- Greek: στα τέσσερα (el) (sta téssera)
- Hungarian: négykézláb (hu)
- Icelandic: á fjórum fótum
- Italian: carponi (it), a quattro piedi (it), gattoni (it), a quattro zampe
- Japanese: 四つん這いで (ja) (yotsunbai de), 四つんばいで (yotsunbai de)
- Latin: quadrupēs
- Maori: pekewhā
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: på alle fire
- Nynorsk: på alle fire
- Polish: na czworakach, raczkiem, na bałyku (pl) (dated or regional)
- Portuguese: de quatro (pt)
- Romanian: în patru labe
- Russian: на четвере́ньках (ru) (na četverénʹkax), на кара́чках (ru) (na karáčkax)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: четверо̀ношке̄
- Roman: četverònoškē (sh)
- Spanish: a cuatro patas, a veinte uñas (vulgar, referring to sex position), en cuatro (es)
- Swedish: på alla fyra
- Ukrainian: ра́чки (ráčky), ра́ком (rákom), ра́ка (ráka)
|