feet on the ground
get one's feet on the ground
keep one's feet on the ground
have one's feet planted firmly in the ground
An understanding of what can be done; sensible ideas. Used with a possessive.
John has his feet on the ground; he knows he cannot learn everything at once.
Ted dreams of sudden riches, but Henry keeps his feet on the ground and expects to work for his money.
Mrs. Smith was a dreamer, but her husband was a man with his feet on the ground.
fill one's shoes
To take the place of another and do as well; to substitute satisfactorily for.
When Jack got hurt, the coach had nobody to fill his shoes.
Joe hopes to fill his father's shoes.
find it in one's heart
To be able or willing because of your nature.
He could not find it in his heart to tell her about her mother's death.
Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
He could never find it in his heart to be mean to a dog.
find one's bearings
get one's bearings
To know where one is or where one is headed.
"Without a compass," the sergeant warned the enlisted men, "you will never find your bearings in the desert."
find one's tongue
find one's wings
find one's feet
To become able to use (some power of the body or mind.)
In the program for the parents, John was nervous and could not speak at first; then he found his tongue.
The young bird had just found its wings.
The baby was just beginning to find his feet.
The question surprised him, and it was a minute before he found his tongue.
find oneself
To find out what one is fitted for and succeed in that.
Mary tried several lines of work, but at last found herself as a teacher.
Sometimes young people move around a long time from job to job before they find themselves.
fix someone up with
To help another get a date with a woman or man by arranging a meeting for the two.
Say Joe, can you possibly fix me up with someone this weekend? I am so terribly lonesome!
fix someone's wagon
fix someone's little red wagon
(Said to a child as a threat) to administer a spanking.
Stop that right away or I'll fix your (little red) wagon!
(Said of an adult) to thwart or frustrate another, to engineer his failure.
If he sues me for slander, I will counter-sue him for malicious prosecution. That will fix his wagon!