on one's toes
Ready for anything
Alert and ready to act quickly.
The image is of someone poised to move at a moment's notice, weight forward, not caught flat-footed.
To keep someone on their toes is to maintain conditions that demand their attention and readiness: Random inspections keep the staff on their toes.
To stay on your toes is to remain vigilant.
- nimbleQuick and light-moving
- attentivenessConcentrated awareness of surroundings
- jumpPropel oneself airborne
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
focus · alert · on guard · coordination · spring · resourcefulness · hair-trigger · responsiveness · watchful · vigilant · flexibility · tiptoe · quick-thinking · quick · eagle-eyed · stay sharp · stay frosty · adaptability
on one's toesasleep at the wheel
Failing to supervise properly
caught off guard · off guard · flat-footed · unaware · oblivious
on one's toescomplacent
Uncritically self-satisfied
lethargic · drowsy · spacey · zoned out · spaced out
on one's toescomplacent
Uncritically self-satisfied
stagnant · set in one's ways · resting on one's laurels · coasting · passive