think on one's feet

1. React quickly, be mentally agile, as in Reporters bombarded him with difficult questions, but Bill was very good at thinking on his feet. This expression uses on one's feet in the sense of “wide awake, alertly.” [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Part of the skill involved is being able to think on one’s feet and make those objections in a timely and accurate way to preserve them for appeal.

From Slate

These interjectory phrases allude to the inability to concentrate or think on one’s feet.

From Forbes

“A phone scam is much more dangerous because one has to think on one’s feet,” he says.

From Washington Post

It is best to jot down bullet points and remain flexible enough to think on one's feet, says Fox.

From Nature

There is a suggestion of the unscrupulous when the expression is used in a political context, though in terms of business deals it does not normally denote anything more sinister than the ability to act quickly and think on one's feet.

From The Guardian