# What's the opposite of pigeon-toed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 15, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069 "2016-03-15T14:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/1 "2016-03-15T14:47:43Z")
Usage varies around the country, I’ve found. One of my students has observed that she is the opposite of pigeon-toed and is wondering what to call it. I said she was splay-footed. What say Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/2 "2016-03-15T14:58:44Z")
Splay-footed I think means specifically walking on your insteps, with your ankles rolled too far. At least, I have had clients who needed corrective orthothics for this. It is possible to walk with your hips turned out so your toes point outward, but you don’t walk on your instep, and don’t stress your ankles or knees. My friends called it “dancer’s walk,” as in, ballet dancer, because they all walk that way because of the way they are trained to stretch their pelves for dancing. It’s called “turn-out,” but “turn-out” is a posture, not a type of walk.There’s probably a better term. If you want a parallel term for “pigeon”-toed, I vote for “duck”-footed, because duck feet turn out. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/3 "2016-03-15T15:11:09Z")
I never knew there was a name for it. Your spoiler shows in the mouseover, BTW. There’s a way to code it so it doesn’t show, but I don’t know how to off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/4 "2016-03-15T15:32:33Z")
If anybody complains that I spoiled the ending, I’ll smack them with a haddock! ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/5 "2016-03-15T16:50:14Z")
The opposite of pigeon-toed is duck-footed. I remember my aunt saying that toes can be turned out from three places: the ankle, the knee, or the hip. Hip turn-out requires surgery to correct. Knee turn-out used to be fixed with that bar thing between kids’ legs; I don’t know if doctors still try to fix it or not. Ankle turn-out tends to correct itself as the child grows, though back in my day, they put babies in corrective shoes (I had them). ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/6 "2016-03-15T17:17:30Z")
I said “splayed” before I saw the spoiler, so that’s one data point in agreement with you. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/7 "2016-03-15T17:34:22Z")
+1 for duck-footed. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/8 "2016-03-15T17:38:18Z")
It might be mostly regional but the dictionary acknowledges **slew footed** and that’s what it’s always been for me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/9 "2016-03-15T17:40:34Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > The opposite of pigeon-toed is duck-footed. > > I remember my aunt saying that toes can be turned out from three places: the ankle, the knee, or the hip. Hip turn-out requires surgery to correct. Knee turn-out used to be fixed with that bar thing between kids’ legs; I don’t know if doctors still try to fix it or not. Ankle turn-out tends to correct itself as the child grows, though back in my day, they put babies in corrective shoes (I had them). They use orthotic inserts in kids shoes instead of special shoes for ankle turn out, and it depends on how serious it is. If kids are walking on their instep, it has to be corrected. Also, I think that hip turn out can sometimes be corrected with the kind of harness that they use for dysplasia-- it depends on how serious it is. The last time I saw a kid with a bar was about 1990, but I did see a kid with jointed orthotics that went above the knee. I don’t know what they were for though, about six years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/10 "2016-03-15T17:44:49Z")
Duck footed (and mine was bad enough when young to require corrective shoes) > **[duck walk](https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/duck+walk)** > > Definition of duck walk in the Medical Dictionary by The Free Dictionary met·a·tar·sus val·gus (met’ă-tahr’sŭs val’gŭs) Fixed deformity in which the forepart of the foot is rotated on the long axis of the foot, so that the plantar surface faces away from the midline of the body, whereas the heel remains straight. Synonym(s): duck walk, toeing out. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/11 "2016-03-15T19:58:20Z")
Another vote for “slew foot”, as in [Slew Foot Sally and the Flying Mule](https://www.google.com/?gfe_rd=ssl&ei=vP3nVsKyFIKp-AXVhYkg#q=slew+foot+sally) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/12 "2016-03-16T01:39:49Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > +1 for duck-footed. Add another. My wife and I were both duck-footed although mine was slightly “cured” after a couple accidental leg breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/13 "2016-03-16T03:00:03Z")
I was always thought **slew-footed** was tripping from behind with your skate, in hockey. Unfortunately I have a bit of a duck walk (gee thanks dad) - I’ve always called it a penguin walk. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/14 "2016-03-16T03:02:36Z")
Splay-footed. ---
**Author:** ![funky\_little\_lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@funky\_little\_lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funky_little_lee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/15 "2016-03-16T03:17:18Z")
One more for duck-footed. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/16 "2016-03-16T04:35:50Z")
Crow’s feet. No, wait. Duck-footed. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/17 "2016-03-16T04:45:22Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Crow’s feet. > > No, wait. Duck-footed. Damn – now that I think of it I got both! :smack: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/18 "2016-03-16T11:21:17Z")
Pigeon-headed ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/19 "2016-03-16T13:56:22Z")
The medical term for pigeon toe is “in-toeing”. The opposite condition is “out-toeing”. Sometimes called Duck feet, or splay feet. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069/20 "2016-03-16T14:40:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Pigeon-headed Bird brain ----- now why didn’t I think of that? :smack: [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-opposite-of-pigeon-toed/749069.md?page=2)