Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Foot, subst. 1) the part of the leg which treads the earth: Lucr. 555. Lucr. 555 Tp. II, 2, 153. V, 34. Wiv. I, 3, 69. III, 3, 67. Ado II, 1, 15. Ado II, 1, 15 II, 3, 66. III, 2, 10 etc. Plur. “feet:” Tp. I, 2, 461. IV, 174. IV, 174 LLL III, 13. IV, 3, 279. Tw. III, 4, 306. John IV, 2, 198. H6A II, 5, 13 etc. “my stay, my guide and lantern to my feet,” H6B II, 3, 25. (cf. Psalm 119, 105). “that the blind mole hear not a foot fall,” Tp. IV, 195. “as softly as f. can fall,” As III, 2, 346. “let him walk from whence he came, lest he catch cold on's feet,” Err. III, 1, 37. “do not you know my lady's foot by the squier?” LLL V, 2, 474 (do not you know her thoroughly?). “never dare misfortune cross her foot,” Merch. II, 4, 36. “to lame the foot of our design,” Cor. IV, 7, 7. “have secret feet in some of our best ports,” Lr. III, 1, 32 (== have secretly landed; Q1 “fee). I'ld with thee every f.” Cor. IV, 1, 57 (very eagerly). “his death, which I did think with slower foot came on,” Meas. V, 400. “it requires swift f.” Tim. V, 1, 231. “near and on speedy f.” Lr. IV, 6, 217. “horses swift and sure of f.” Mcb. III, 1, 38. the better foot before == at a quick pace: John IV, 2, 170. Tit. II, 3, 192. upon the foot of fear (== flying), H4A V, 5, 20. “nor our strong sorrow upon the f. of motion,” Mcb. II, 3, 131 (having free scope). “with license of free f.” As II, 7, 68 (unbounded license). “to give thee all, and in his waning age set f. under thy table,” Shr. II, 404. “when I from France set f. at Ravenspurgh,” H4A III, 2, 95. “I will set this f. of mine as far as who goes farthest,” Caes. I, 3, 119. “set on your f.” II, 1, 331. “my f. my tutor?” Tp. I, 2, 469 (proverbial; cf. Tim. I, 1, 94). “I followed me close, came in f. and hand,” H4A II, 4, 241. “fighting f. to f.” Ant. III, 7, 67. “from face to f.” Cor. II, 2, 112. “from head to f.” Err. III, 2, 115. Troil. II, 1, 29. Hml. I, 2, 228. Ant. V, 2, 239. Cymb. I, 6, 19. “head to f. now is he total gules,” Hml. II, 2, 478. at f. == at one's heels: “follow him at f.” Hml. IV, 3, 56. cf. “at whose f., to mend the petty present, I will piece her throne with kingdoms,” Ant. I, 5, 44 (cf. “at heel of that,” II, 2, 160). at one's foot == lying, or kneeling, or prostrate before one: Merch. III, 1, 92. John V, 2, 76. V, 7, 113. R2 I, 1, 165. H6A IV, 6, 53. Rom. II, 2, 147. “at one's feet:” Gentl. III, 1, 225. Err. V, 114. R2 III, 3, 39. H6A IV, 7, 76. V, 3, 194. H6B II, 3, 35. H6C I, 1, 75. R3 II, 1, 107. Tit. I, 252. II, 4, 51. Hml. II, 2, 31. Ant. III, 13, 76. “at the feet sat Caesarion,” III, 6, 5. “set your knee against my f.” H6A III, 1, 169. “fall before his feet,” John V, 4, 13. “lets fall his sword before your highness' feet,” H6A III, 4, 9. “success be strewed before your feet,” Ant. I, 3, 101. “fall his princely feet before,” LLL IV, 1, 92 (Armado's poetry). “place your hands below your husband's foot,” Shr. V, 2, 177. on foot == a) walking, not on horseback: Shr. IV, 3, 188. R3 V, 4, 4. b) standing, not fallen: “'tis this fever that keeps Troy on f.” Troil. I, 3, 135. c) raised, levied, under arms: “a power on f.” As V, 4, 162. Cor. IV, 5, 125. d) in motion, action, or process of execution: “when thou hast on f. the purblind hare,” Ven. 679. “while other jests are on f.” Wiv. IV, 6, 22. “since love's argument was first on f.” LLL V, 2, 757. Wint. I, 1, 3. John III, 4, 169. H4B I, 3, 37. H5 I, 2, 310. Cor. IV, 3, 49. “hurl down my gage upon this overweening traitor's foot,” R2 I, 1, 147. “I'll strike thee to my f.” R3 I, 2, 41. “as low as to thy f. doth Cassius fall,” Caes. III, 1, 56. “throw it under f.” Shr. V, 2, 122. “tread it under f.” H6B V, 1, 209. “laid his love and life under my f.” H4B III, 1, 63. “under my feet I stamp thy cardinal's hat,” H6A I, 3, 49.
2) the lower part, the base: “the cedar stoops not to the base shrub's f.” Lucr. 664. “that shore whose f. spurns back the ocean's roaring tides,” John II, 24. “the f. of the ladder,” H4A I, 2, 42. “from top of honour to disgrace's feet,” H6B I, 2, 49. “yond towers . . . must kiss their own feet,” Troil. IV, 5, 221. cf. Gent. V, 2, 46.
3) a measure of twelve inches: “we will not move a f.” LLL V, 2, 146. “he will not budge a f.” H4A II, 4, 388. H6A I, 3, 38. “thy horn is a f.” Shr. IV, 1, 30. “a f. of honour better,” John I, 182. John I, 182 “within a f. of . . .,” Lr. IV, 6, 25. “when he sees me go back one f.” H6A I, 2, 21. H6B V, 3, 6. Rom. I, 1, 87 (Ff a f.). “loves her by the f.” LLL V, 2, 674 (probably an obscene quibble intended). “give no f. of ground,” H6C I, 4, 15. “every f.” John I, 146. Cor. IV, 1, 57. plural: “three foot,” John IV, 2, 100. “four f.” H4A II, 2, 13. H8 V, 4, 19. “twelve f.” Wint. IV, 4, 347.
4) infantry: H4A II, 4, 597. III, 3, 209. H4B II, 1, 186. H6A IV, 1, 165. R3 V, 3, 294. R3 V, 3, 294 Ant. IV, 10, 4.
5) a certain number of syllables constituting part of a verse: “more feet than the verses would bear,” As III, 2, 174. I carry winged time post on the lame feet of my rhyme, Per. IV Prol. 48.