Have you ever put your foot in it? I have and do it often. Brain disconnects with mouth, mouth then says something when brain is out to lunch. Face then becomes horrified at what mouth has just said, brain comes back from lunch and says to mouth, "what the hell did you just say?, I leave you for five minutes, come back and you have embarrassed yourself and me". I say things sometimes to people that I don’t want to say, often due to nerves or out of panic to make conversation.
Meaning: If you put your foot in it, you do or say something embarrassing and tactless or get yourself into trouble.
Yesterday, at a baby group in Moscow, I saw a baby that looked like he or she had a bump on his or her head and put my foot in it- but Let's first flash back to 30 minutes before to this foot in mouth awful event.....30 mins before... I am at home with junior, I am in the bathroom when I hear a crash, I zip up my flies and run to the living room, junior is on the floor with a chair on top of him crying. I look and see nothing on his face or head, no blood nothing.... 2 mins later I can see a massive bump like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon rising up on his head. The oak chair fell on him as he pulled on a coat that was hanging on the chair...ow very painful....
Flash forwards 30 mins later at the baby group.......I see a baby that I have not seen before in the group, I say to the young mother of this infant, in an effort to be friendly, "oh no did he bump his head", she looks horrified and says "no it’s not a bump but a birth mark", my brain comes back from his lunch break and screams "what did you say idiot".
You get the picture, I wanted the ground to open up and suck me in, the woman sitting next to the poor woman looked very embarrassed. I tried to keep the conversation going (while sweating with pure embarassement) but could feel a her stabbing me to death while I spoke. Putting your foot in is like a disability, you don’t want it but can't do anything about it.
Below are some other examples.
By far and away the best way to put your foot in it is to embarrass yourself and others in a crowded room. It helps if you do not know the people you are embarrassing too well.
Whoops!!!!
- "Have you re-decorated your flat its needs it" ....reply "yes last week"
- At a party you say in a "I was very short as a child" turn round and there is a midgit standing behind you.
- "Really you had the opperation? And I thought you hadn't had the surgery yet!"
- "I've stopped taking the drugs now! I say stuff the neurotic and violent tendencies."
- "Yes I know your husband was a good man and his death brings sadness to us all. Oh by the way can I have the electric mower back that he borrowed?"
- "What a huge nose you've got!" Did I just say that!
- "You're obviously a very talented individual! Do you talk trash for a living?"
- "I'd love to measure your ego, is it off the scale?"
- "I think you need a personality graft."
- "I'd set my dogs on you but I'm afraid that they'd get rabies as a result of biting your leg."
- "How is your dog?", reply "he died last week"
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It may happen with everyone. Today you've said something wrong, tomorrow your interlocutor will say something inappropriate to you.
ReplyDeleteThe worst situation is when you've sad something, about what you had remembered not to mention, but had forgotten that you shouldn't mention it.
Oh, I hope you'll understand what I want to say, I'm afraid I mixed up the tenses =D Here example: I always asking my friend about her grandparents. Her grandfather died, but I usually forget about this, very embarassment.
I am like an elephant in a china shop as we say in English.
ReplyDeleteWe have exactly the same expression in Russian :)
ReplyDelete