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Boiado in his tarot poem uses a 'foot' idiom in reference to Laura who 'never put a foot wrong', that is, everything she did was perfect, she did everything right. Our hanged man however, appears to have got off on the wrong foot with someone, or been planted on the wrong foot (plante sur le pied gauche) or taken a wrong foot and strayed from the path of righteousness.
Perhaps the hanged man as traitor, seeking to keep a foot in both camps, has been found out and 'pulled up' by one of them. He has lost everything, certainly he no longer has 'the world at his feet'. Whatever plans he had they appear to have been scuppered, the rug has been pulled from beneath his feet. He is likely to die soon, or as we say, has one foot in the grave. He is certainly between the foot and square (in the height of affliction, the middle of danger, entre le pied & le carreau).
A prudent man treads carefully, our hanged man seems to have been imprudent; or as Gebelin would have it, is actually prudent (and putting his best foot forward and treading carefully with aforethought) but been turned upside down by mistake. And there are some examples of him being upright, though generally it is these that are considered to have been turned in error.
Ironically for someone hung up by the foot and unable to go anywhere we have the saying ‘to have one foot raised, or one foot in the air’, meaning always ready to go, depart, move on; or always ready with an off the cuff remark, able to make an extempore, improvisional speech, a witty retort. Someone dangerous, a stirrer, an agitator who stirs things up then leaves (it could be dangerous, after all, for the agitator to 'hang around' after stirring things up).
(Avoir un pied en l'air, un pied levé, un pied qui remue. Être prêt à partir, à se déplacer. .. Mais tu n'as pas, comme moi, un pied qui remue, et toujours prêt à partir… Il serait dangereux de laisser trop longuement à tout ce monde-là le pied en l'air.)
Also a foot is by definition an inferior part that supports a thing; the traitors foot is raised, the inferior part no longer supports him just as the treacherous 'inferior' failed to support his superiors.
Of idiomatic sayings there is also to ‘Make feet’ (Faire les pieds) meaning to give someone a lesson, to make someone suffer in order to teach them a lesson,to put them in their place; to ‘make the feet’; Ça lui fera les pieds! Bring him to his feet, serve as a lesson.
For his feet (c’est pour ses pieds) meaning, that will teach him, to return (put) someone to their place, remind them of their proper position; as we may say in English, that will teach him to step out of line.
Also, in reference perhaps also to dogs also being hung alongside, the command brought to foot, made to obey one’s master, under control, to be brought to heel, forced to obey. Au pied ~ se placer à ses pieds.
Also ‘Mettre à pied’ meaning put on foot is synonymous with ‘suspendre’, to suspend, to lay off temporarily; ...exiler le maître, mettre à pied les hommes . (...exile the master, suspend (put on foot) the men). We have also ‘pieds et poings liés’ ~ feet tied, bound.
Al these type of ‘foot’ expression relate to concepts expressive of inferiority, downgrading, devalueing. Ideas relating to making someone suffer to teach them a lesson, remind them of their place, to shame them and bring them back into line, not necessarily kill them (not denying of course, that people were executed and horribly so by being left hung by the foot/feet).
The foot and heel are a part of the body used idiomatically to express the whole, for example, a person who treats others unfairly may be called 'a heel'.
Our hanged man is 'under the heel' (of oppression, under the complete control of something or someone, perhaps head over heels in unreciprocated love).
He has been left 'to cool his heels' (forced to wait (hang around) until he calms down, sees sense or becomes agreeable).
He's been hung out to dry and hangs his head in shame.Paying for something, he foots the bill. Will he ever get back on his feet (recover)?
Is he tired, worried, unable to cope any more, at the end of his tether? Certainly looks like he's on the ropes, doing badly. See what can happen if you don't keep a civil tongue in your head! You may learn to regret a loose tongue.
Like a pendlulum does he have time, a regular measure ~ a measure of regulation...time beat in feet like a measure of poetry...a foot a measure of space like 12 foot long...like a pendulum, left hanging for hours...pacing, pacing, 12 cut branches, six from each tree, 12 hours, 12 feet, 12 steps, 12 equal hours of day and night, spring and winter equinox.
01 - 01
02 -- 03
03 --- 06
04 ---- 10
05 ----- 15
06 ------ 21
07 ------- 28
08 -------- 36
09 --------- 45
10 ---------- 55
11 ----------- 66
12 ------------ 78
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