Where did the phrase put your foot in your mouth come from?
Emma Newman
Updated on March 12, 2026
Thereof, what is the origin of the phrase put your foot in your mouth?
The first expression dates from about 1900. The variant, dating from the mid-1900s, is a play on the foot-and-mouth (sometimes called hoof-and-mouth) disease that afflicts cattle, causing eruptions to break out around the mouth and hoofs.
Secondly, what is the meaning of the idiom put your foot in it? informal. : to say something that causes someone to be embarrassed, upset, or hurt especially when the speaker did not expect that reaction I really put my foot in it when I asked her about her job. I didn't know she had just been fired.
In respect to this, what idiom is put your foot in your mouth?
Meaning of Idiom 'To Put Your Foot in Your Mouth
To put your foot in your mouth (or put one's foot in one's mouth) means to say something embarrassing, tactless, unintentionally insulting, or socially awkward; to commit a social blunder by saying something foolish. 1. Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook.
How do I stop putting my foot in my mouth?
Ways to prevent putting your foot in your mouth
- Be careful about sharing your negative opinions, especially around people you don't know well.
- Try to get in the habit of second guessing your assumptions about people.
- Take a moment to think about if a piece of information someone told you one-on-one is public knowledge.
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—used to say that something happened in the past and is no longer important or worth arguing about We had our differences in the past, but that's all water under the bridge now.What does I'm on pins and needles mean?
or sit on pins and needles. to be very anxious or nervous because you are waiting to see if something happens the way you want it to. I think we all have been sitting on pins and needles and anxious for something to happen.What cat got your tongue means?
informal. —used to ask someone why he or she is not saying anything "You've been unusually quiet tonight," she said.Did not have a leg to stand on?
: to have no support for what one thinks, says, or does He claims that the company cheated him, but without evidence of a written agreement, he doesn't have a leg to stand on.Did I put my foot in my mouth?
(idiomatic) To misspeak, to say something embarrassing or wrong, or to make a mistake in public, or a social blunder, that is embarrassing or offensive. Nowadays usually put your foot in your mouth.Will rule the roost meaning?
informal. : to have the most control or authority in a group.What does my heart was in my mouth mean?
informal. : to be very excited or nervous about something anticipated He waited for her arrival with his heart in his mouth. You sure don't seem relaxed—in fact, it seems like your heart is in your mouth.Who put their foot in it?
If someone puts their foot in it or puts their foot in their mouth, they accidentally do or say something which embarrasses or offends people. Our chairman has really put his foot in it, poor man, though he doesn't know it.What does the idiom fight tooth and nail mean?
Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.What is the meaning of to get off on the wrong foot?
to start a relationship or activity badly: He got off on the wrong foot with my parents by arriving late.Had a finger in the pie meaning?
Another form of this idiom is have a finger in every pie, meaning “to have an interest in or be involved in everything,” as in She does a great deal for the town; she has a finger in every pie.What does having cold feet mean?
Apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action. A loss or lack of courage or confidence; an onset of uncertainty or fear. To “have cold feet” is to be too fearful to undertake or complete an action.Have a frog in your throat meaning?
Definition of have a frog in one's throat: to be unable to speak normally because one's throat is dry and hoarse.
