party foul
1
8.2
- noun
- /ˈpɑrti faʊl/
- Slang
:
metedura de pata
- He spilled his drink on the host's new carpet, which everyone agreed was a serious party foul.
Examples
-
I don't know how they play dollies where you come from, but here, that's a major party foul!
-
- That's a party foul.
-
Talking loudly during the toast is considered a party foul at formal gatherings.
-
She accidentally broke a decoration, and her friends jokingly called it a party foul.
Synonyms
51
7.7
A remark or action made by accident that is embarrassing
19
8.1
An action or remark that is not socially acceptable
13
8.8
An embarrassing act or remark that upsets people in social situations
5
7.7
A serious, embarrassing mistake often caused by confusion or poor planning
1
9.9
A person or thing that ruins a happy event by causing embarrassment
1
7.2
A person or thing that ruins the fun at a party
Antonyms
How Serious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is partly predictable from 'party' (social gathering) + 'foul' (something bad or a rule violation): together they signal a bad or inappropriate action at a party. However, the noun use of 'foul' in this slangy, culture-specific sense and the pragmatic judgment involved are not fully compositional, so a B1 learner may need exposure to the phrase to grasp the exact social nuance.
Etymology
Party foul comes from comparing a bad action at a gathering to a foul in sport, a rule-breaking move that spoils the game. So calling something a party foul means it is 'embarrassing' or wrong at the party.