Two steps forward one step back
- Two steps forward one step back
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For the book written by Lenin, see One Step Forward, Two Steps Back.
"Two steps forward one step back..." is a catchphrase reflecting on an anecdote about a frog trying to climb out of a water well; for every two steps the frog climbs, it falls back by one step, making its progress arduous.
The phrase is sometimes cynically rearranged to "One step forward, two steps back..." to reflect a situation where, seemingly for every attempt to make progress in a task, an actual retrograde performance is achieved.
Instead of quoting this phrase ("Two steps forward one step back...") sometimes it is summed up with the briefer exclamation of "Frog in a well". [1] This tale should not be confused with another tale with a different meaning, but also sometimes titled Frog in a well, which refers to having seemingly small aspirations in comparison with compatriots [2] [3] [4] [5].
The phrase One Step Forward, Two Steps Back was used as a title of a 1904 revolutionary pamphlet by Vladimir Lenin.
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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back — The Crisis in Our Party is a work written by Lenin published in March 1904. In it Lenin defends his role in the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, held in Brussels and London 30 July 23 August 1903. Lenin examines the… … Wikipedia
one step forward, two steps back — one step ˌforward, two steps ˈback idiom (saying) used to say that every time you make progress, sth bad happens that means that the situation is worse than before Main entry: ↑stepidiom … Useful english dictionary
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One step forward, two steps back. — something that you say which means every time you make progress, something bad happens which causes you to be in a worse situation than you were to begin with. Every solution we come up with seems to create more problems than it solves, so it s… … New idioms dictionary
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step — 1 /step/ noun 1 MOVEMENT (C) the movement you make when you put one foot in front of the other when walking: With every step my bags seemed heavier. | take a step: Take two steps forward and one step back. | retrace your steps (=go back the way… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
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step — step1 [ step ] noun *** ▸ 1 movement of foot ▸ 2 one of series of actions ▸ 3 for walking up/down ▸ 4 stage/level on scale ▸ 5 between musical notes ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) count a short movement made by putting one foot in front of the other: take/move … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
step — step1 W2S2 [step] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(movement)¦ 2¦(action)¦ 3¦(in a process)¦ 4¦(stair)¦ 5¦(distance)¦ 6¦(sound)¦ 7¦(dancing)¦ 8 in step 9 out of step 10 watch your step … Dictionary of contemporary English
