flatfoot:
(pronunciation: ‘flat…foot’)
(a flat foot)
a police officer [not to be used in formal speech] {plural, in this context – flatfoots};
a person whose feet are flat without the arch (bend) and so the entire sole touches the ground, also called ‘splayfoot‘ {plural, in this context, the word is also written in two words ‘flat foot’ and the plural is — flatfeet or flat feet},
two flatfoots on patrol
After watching the film ‘Flatfoot’ in which Bud Spencer did the lead character, Jimmy, like several other young police officers, tried to ape him while on duty.
Though the word flatfoot is a slang term for a police officer, some young officers feel proud to be called flatfoots because films/movies and stories have glorified this word, often referring to a tough, daring and honest police officer whom the public respected and with whom beautiful girls fell head over heels in love.
There are two different theories as to how this word originated. One is that the policemen in olden days walked the streets on foot doing their beats and after years of walking, their feet became flat, and the other is that in the past, men whose feet were flat were rejected by the military during enrolment or were discharged from military duty because of their flat feet, and those rejected men with flat feet joined the police force and served as police officers!
When people call her flatfoot, Betty, who has flat feet, is annoyed and embarrassed, but, unfortunately, nobody seems to care about the young girl’s feelings.
