Talk:put one's best foot forward

This idiom irks me. Traditional grammar rules limit the use of superlative degree ("best") to cases in which three or more things are being compared, and states that in the case of two things the comparative degree should to be used. I suppose I am just venting on improper idioms, but caveat emptor when putting forward the best of two things!

Grammatically, you are correct. I, myself, have never been one "to boldly go", and if I could care less, I might reasonably suppose that I now care at least somewhat. However, we are here to reflect and catalog actual usage, and I have never heard of anyone settling for putting his better foot forward, despite presumably having only the usual two. (Out of curiosity, what, precisely what might I buy with this idiom ("caveat emptor")? A vowel, perhaps? :-) ) --Dvortygirl 08:18, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Touché! I don't question it's legitimacy nor it's place in this compendium, I was simply stating my distaste for some of English's idioms..."head over heels" is another which "gets my goat." TheDaveRoss 08:30, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

"Traditional grammar rules... states that..." YOU LOSE! Equinox ◑ 02:42, 5 November 2018 (UTC)