all fours
"All fours" can describe a physical stance, a card game, or a legal precedent, showcasing its diverse applications in language.
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Definition
B1Physical Position
(general)Being on hands and knees with all four limbs supporting the body.
Example
- The baby crawled across the floor on all fours.
- He got down on all fours to look under the bed.
B2Card Games
(recreational)A card game where points are scored for high trump, low trump, jack of trumps, and game.
Example
- We spent the evening playing all fours.
C1Legal
(technical, formal)A case with facts and issues nearly identical to a previous case, setting a strong legal precedent.
Example
- The judge ruled that the current case was on all fours with the earlier decision.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "all fours":
on all foursfour footon one's backon one's kneesdoggy styleflat on one's backfour squarefour by twoface down