Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

one step forward, two steps back

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.45 in modern English

Syllables: one step -for-ward, t-wo step-s back
IPA

48

Scrabble Score

26

Letters

5

Syllables

14

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.

Example Sentences

"We got all the roofing removed, but the chimney was damaged and we discovered that some rafters had to be replaced. One step forward, two steps back. Or maybe three."

Etymology

Derived from the idiom "two steps forward, one step back", which originates with an anecdote about a frog in a well.

Questions

What does one step forward, two steps back mean?: A situation in which progress is more than offset by adverse developments.
Where does one step forward, two steps back come from?: Derived from the idiom "two steps forward, one step back", which originates with an anecdote about a frog in a well.

How to pronounce one step forward, two steps back

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