I visited my friend’s home for lunch last week. While I was waiting, I noticed one of her child’s drawings hanging on the fridge. I figured she was proud of her child’s art, and I wanted to pay her a compliment, so I said: “Oh, your child is very good at art for a five-year-old!” But my friend looked embarrassed and told me it was actually her own drawing! Oops! I was mortified. Did you ever put your foot in your mouth like this?
In the video below, Dara gives us some more examples of how to use this interesting expression.
Transcript
Put your foot in your mouth? That doesn’t sound like a good idea!
It’s not a good idea! To put your foot in your mouth means to accidentally say something inappropriate. That is, to say something that you shouldn’t have said.
Let’s look at a few examples of how you can use this phrase naturally:
- Oh my God! I just put my foot in my mouth! I asked a woman on the bus when her baby was due, but she wasn’t pregnant!
- When Ryan met Jill’s sister, Ann, he put his foot in his mouth. He asked Ann if she was proud of her daughter, Jill! Oops!
- I really put my foot in my mouth when I saw Sarah last time. I asked her how her husband was doing. I’d forgotten that they’d divorced six months earlier.
So, there we are. Have you ever put your foot in your mouth? Let us know in the comments section below.
Practice
Try to answer the questions below using today’s expression.
- Did you ever insult someone by mistake? How did you deal with the situation?
- Were you ever embarrassed by calling someone the wrong name?
- Did a friend ever tell you a secret that you accidentally let slip to others? What happened?
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