Agree with you that "set foot" is by far the preferred construction and that in this usage "step foot" is clearly incorrect, but "step" as a verb has both transitive and intransitive uses:
v.i.
to move in steps.
to walk, esp. for a few strides or a short distance: Step over to the counter.
to move with measured steps, as in a dance.
to go briskly or fast, as a horse.
to come easily and naturally, as if by a step of the foot: to step into a fortune.
to put the foot down; tread: Don't step on the grass.
to press with the foot, as on a lever or spring, in order to operate some mechanism.
v.t.
to take (a step, pace, stride, etc.).
to go through or perform the steps of (a dance).
to move or set (the foot) in taking a step.
to measure (a distance, ground, etc.) by steps (sometimes fol. by off or out).
to make or arrange in the manner of a series of steps.
to fix (a mast) in its step.
step down,
a. to lower or decrease by degrees.
b. to relinquish one's authority or control; resign.
...and not a single one of those transitive uses have I ever seen anywhere in print or online, or heard used verbally.
No, I'm not proclaiming I'm the ultimate arbiter of anything, nor have I read every book ever published; just a former editor who has never encountered a transitive use of step even once (except the phrase "step foot", which sets the teeth on edge every time).
Not being a boater, I have not the slightest clue what "to step a mast" might mean, so I take your word for it, BOatriot :)
Agree with you that "set foot" is by far the preferred construction and that in this usage "step foot" is clearly incorrect, but "step" as a verb has both transitive and intransitive uses:
v.i.
to move in steps.
to walk, esp. for a few strides or a short distance: Step over to the counter.
to move with measured steps, as in a dance.
to go briskly or fast, as a horse.
to come easily and naturally, as if by a step of the foot: to step into a fortune.
to put the foot down; tread: Don't step on the grass.
to press with the foot, as on a lever or spring, in order to operate some mechanism.
v.t.
to take (a step, pace, stride, etc.).
to go through or perform the steps of (a dance).
to move or set (the foot) in taking a step.
to measure (a distance, ground, etc.) by steps (sometimes fol. by off or out).
to make or arrange in the manner of a series of steps.
to fix (a mast) in its step.
step down,
a. to lower or decrease by degrees.
b. to relinquish one's authority or control; resign.
I, for instance, have stepped several masts.
Thanks Bo
...and not a single one of those transitive uses have I ever seen anywhere in print or online, or heard used verbally.
No, I'm not proclaiming I'm the ultimate arbiter of anything, nor have I read every book ever published; just a former editor who has never encountered a transitive use of step even once (except the phrase "step foot", which sets the teeth on edge every time).
Not being a boater, I have not the slightest clue what "to step a mast" might mean, so I take your word for it, BOatriot :)