Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to stick one's foot in it

to stick one's foot in it

1 8.5
To say or do something embarrassing by accident
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : meter la pata
  • I didn't mean to offend him, but my comment really stuck my foot in it.

Examples

  • When she accidentally revealed the surprise party, she really stuck her foot in it.

  • Better stick her foot in it.

    Movie Movie (1978)

  • He has already stuck his foot in it.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • After making a joke about her cooking, he realized he had stuck his foot in it.

Synonyms

to shoot oneself in the foot
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Informal
20 8.4

Do or say something that harms your own chances

is more about causing embarrassment rather than causing practical harm
stumble
vsto stick one's foot in it
9 3.4

A small mistake that is often embarrassing

is about saying or doing tactless things rather than any slip
to fall on one's face
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Informal
6 7.6

To fail badly and embarrass yourself in front of other people

is usually a small accidental tactless act, not a major public failure
to put foot in it
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • UK
3 7.7

To say or do something embarrassing by accident

is the exact informal phrase for accidental tactless acts
to make a blunder
vsto stick one's foot in it
1 4.2

Do something that is a serious and embarrassing mistake

is focused on tactless or awkward words rather than any mistake
to put one's foot in one's mouth
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Informal
8.2

To say something embarrassing without meaning to

is the same idea but also covers embarrassing actions not only speech
to blunder out
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Informal
7.4

To say something quickly and carelessly without thinking

is similar but applies more generally to accidental speech or actions
to drop a bollock
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Offensive
9.9

To make a serious, embarrassing mistake by being careless

is more about awkward words or acts, often accidental and less severe
to show one's butt
vsto stick one's foot in it
  • Informal
9.9

To embarrass yourself by doing something awkward in front of other people

is about awkward words or clumsy acts rather than personal exposure

Antonyms

to handle with care
4 3.5

To treat someone or something gently to avoid harm

How Embarrassing

to stick one's foot in it
  • UK
1 8.5
to blurt out
  • Informal
42 3.9
to slip up
  • Informal
27 4.1

Surface Forms

stick one's foot in it infinitive
sticking one's foot in it present participle
sticks one's foot in it third person singular
stuck one's foot in it past
stuck one's foot in it past participle

Morphology

stick + one's + foot + in + it

The meaning is motivated by a physical metaphor (putting one’s foot into something awkward) so there is a detectable link to the literal constituents, giving learners some cue. However, the specific social sense of making an embarrassing or tactless remark is a metaphorical extension that a B1 learner would not reliably predict from the parts alone without prior exposure, even though comparable idioms exist in many languages.

Etymology

The idiom stick one's foot in it may come from the image of someone literally sticking their foot into a puddle or mud and making an awkward mess. So, to 'stick one's foot in it' means to say or do something embarrassing by accident.