having feet whose bottom part is flat against the ground and not curved up in an arch

in a difficult or unexpected situation that makes you unable to move or react quickly or skilfully

Campaign leaders were caught flat-footed when the opinion polls suddenly started to swing the other way. 当民意调查的结果突然倒向另一方时，竞选运动的领导们陷于了束手无策的境地。

boring, with no new ideas or imagination

a flat-footed political campaign 一项平淡无奇的政治运动

As with all the best American comedies, the sharpness of the script made the average British sitcom seem embarrassingly flat-footed. 与所有最好的美国喜剧一样，剧本的细腻使一般的英国情景剧相形见绌，显得乏味无趣。