get cold feet

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Cold feet is a phrase which refers to a person not going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty, and doubt. A person is said to be "getting cold feet" when, after previously committing to a plan, they ultimately do not carry out the planned course of action.

Cold feet(临阵退缩)指一个人因为恐惧、不确定和怀疑而没有完成某项行动，尤其是需要长期投入的行动。当一个人在之前承诺了一个计划之后，最终却没有执行计划中的行动时，我们就说他get cold feet。

据说，这个表达来源于军队，冬天天气冷，有士兵就以脚被冻住了为理由不上场作战。后来啊，演变成在重要场合临阵退缩的意思。

My friend got cold feet before the exam.

我的朋友在考试前打退堂鼓了。