put your foot in your mouth meaning?

Question

What is the meaning of "to put your foot in your mouth" idiom?

Answer 1

 

Idiom Conjugations:

 

Answer 2

Gerund Form of the Idiom:

Putting your foot in your mouth can be embarrassing.
 

Answer 3

Idiom Usage:

Alternate form:

You have put your foot in it now!
 
 

Plural forms  ( We - You (all) - They )

They put their feet in their mouths.  This means that each individual puts their one foot in each of their one mouths.  Because we are talking about many people and therefore many feet, we need to use the plural form of foot=feet.
They put their foot in their mouth.  Because foot is in the singular, this sentence means that "they", as a collective group, put their collective best foot forward.  We use the singular of foot and mouth because the collective group is considered a single item.
 

Simple General Rule
If you are in doubt about which form to use, singular or plural, choose the singular collective form.  Most English speakers will not know the difference.

 

Answer 4

Idiom Scenario 2:

You are talking to a stranger at a party.  You are telling the stranger how bad your boss is.  You are insulting and complaining about your boss.  After you are finished saying everything bad that is possible to say about your boss, the stranger tells you that he is your boss's husband.

You have really put your foot in your mouth.

Answer 5

Idiom Scenario 1:

Ned comes home after work one day to discover a beautiful cake sitting on the kitchen counter.  The cake is in a container like you would get from a bakery.  Ned takes the cake out and proceeds to begin eating a big slice.  After two bites, Ned discovers that the cake tastes terrible.  Ned scrapes the remainder of the cake from his plate into the garbage.  Just as Ned is doing this, Grace walks in ...

Grace:  "Why are you throwing that piece of cake away?"
Ned:      "It was really bad.  I think you need to find a different bakery."
Grace:  "Oh, Ned!  I spent the afternoon baking that cake for you."

 
Has Ned put his foot in his mouth?

Answer 6

Idiom Definition:

"to put your foot in your mouth"

to accidentally say something inappropriate that causes distress or embarrassment to yourself or others
 

Synonyms:
blooper, blunder, boo-boo, botch, breach, break, bungle, error, flop, fub, foul-up, gaffe, goof, hash, impropriety, in-decorum, indiscretion, mess, mess-up, misconduct, misjudgment, misstep, mistake, offence, oversight, slip, transgression
 
 
This man is literally putting his foot in his mouth. - - - - -> 
 
 
This man has literally put his foot in it. - - - - ->