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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Keep your eye on your step

English translation: watch your step

09:44 Oct 26, 2006
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / slang
English term or phrase: Keep your eye on your step
A warning, mafia syle:
What does the idiom exacty mean? "Be careful about what you do."?

Thank you!

Note: don't ask further context as I don't have it myself!
Alain Dellepiane
Local time: 05:55
Selected answer:watch your step
Explanation:
but impossible to say without further context

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Note added at 4 mins (2006-10-26 09:48:43 GMT)
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be careful of what you say and do
Selected response from:

Jonathan MacKerron
Grading comment
Overwhelming peer agreement! Thanx
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
1 +13watch your step
Jonathan MacKerron
5 +2Watch you back
humbird
2 +4watch your step
Kirill Semenov
4Be careful
Sonia Gomes


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): +13
keep your eye on your step.
watch your step


Explanation:
but impossible to say without further context

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2006-10-26 09:48:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

be careful of what you say and do

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
Grading comment
Overwhelming peer agreement! Thanx

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kirill Semenov: ;-)
3 mins
agree  Jack Doughty
18 mins
agree  PB Trans
36 mins
agree  Dave Calderhead
2 hrs
agree  Ken Cox: or 'watch yourself', but 'watch your step' is apparently what the asker means
2 hrs
agree  Alexander Demyanov
2 hrs
agree  Alison Jenner
3 hrs
agree  Sophia Finos (X)
3 hrs
agree  NancyLynn
4 hrs
agree  Robert Fox
11 hrs
agree  Emily Goodpaster
18 hrs
agree  Suzan Hamer: Although "Watch out" is entirely correct, this sounds more macho and aggressive. As a warning it can mean "Be alert, be wary (we're watching you)" or "Be careful you don't step out of line" or "Take care not to do something we wouldn't like."
1 day 2 hrs
agree  Alfa Trans (X)
2 days 7 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +4
keep your eye on your step.
watch your step


Explanation:
A figurative for "Think what you do", "Think twice about where you get into" or "Think twice before trying to mess with the best".

Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Local time: 23:55
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  juvera
24 mins
agree  Darya Kozak
4 hrs
agree  Can Altinbay: If the warning is "Mafia style", this fits the best.
4 hrs
  -> they probably add some 4-letter words to it, but I omitted them
agree  Suzan Hamer: Although "Watch out" is correct, I'm with Can; this sounds more macho and aggressive. As a warning it can mean "Be alert, be wary (we're watching you)" or "Be careful you don't step out of line" or "Take care not to do something we wouldn't like."
1 day 2 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
keep your eye on your step.
Be careful


Explanation:
I think it is not so literary as watching your step but it can also mean to take care of oneself.


Regards,

Sonia


Sonia Gomes
Local time: 02:25
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
keep your eye on your step
Watch you back


Explanation:
Let it be Italian mafia or that of American West, you always have to be careful not to turn your back to your potential enemy. Or he will shoot you right into your back.
See what happened to that famous outlaw of the American West Jessie James?
He was shot because he unbecomingly careless to turn his back while he was repositioning a picture on the wall. His trusted former outlaw friend visited him waiting for the opportunity to do just that, as hewas after the reward money.
This fate also befell upon another famous Western movie character Wild Bill Hickock.
"Watch your back" was a cliche in those days among the Frontiers men if you know about the history of the American West.

"Turn one's back on your enemy" is an expression that connotes cowardice, but in this case not so.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2006-10-26 15:54:45 GMT)
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An after though correction -- I said "movie character Wild Bill Hickock" but this does not mean he was a fiction character. He is a real person who died by shot from the back while he was playing a card game.
Well I'm having too much fun.

humbird
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese, Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you fors such a detailed, and fun, answer!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Angie Garbarino: Yes I agree
6 hrs
agree  Sophie Raimondo
10 hrs
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