# Put your foot in your mouth



## Vivemafille

How do you say:

He put his foot in his mouth. (=He made a gaffe.)


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## Daffodil100

你失言了。

你说错话了。


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## Razzle Storm

Depending on the context, it could also be “他闹笑话了”


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## Daffodil100

Razzle Storm said:


> Depending on the context, it could also be “他闹笑话了”


 
失言 means exactly put one's foot in one's mouth no matter what kind of contexts.


闹笑话 is not an equivalent to the English idiom. His behaviour might also 闹笑话。If someone put his foot in his mouth by upsetting another person, it was not a a joke at all.

失言 is an equivalent to put one's foot in one's mouth.
闹笑话 is a possible consequence of "put one's foot in one's mouth".


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## BODYholic

Daffodil100 said:


> 失言 means exactly put one's foot in one's mouth no matter what kind of contexts.



失言 means misspeak. It carries only a neutral connotation. It also lacks the pun.

I'll go for, 他(真是)狗咀吐不出象牙. This is contemporary usage which deviates slightly from the original meaning.


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## Daffodil100

*1. 失言 refers to. *​ 


> (1) [a slip of the tongue]∶不该对某人说却对他说了这次泄密,是由于我的失言
> 
> 
> (2) [make an indiscreet remark]∶无意中说出不该说的话
> 酒后失言​


 

source: an online Chinese dictionaryURL: http://www.zdic.net/cd/ci/5/ZdicE5ZdicA4ZdicB1311074.htm​

*2. "put your foot in your mouth" refers to.*




> put your foot in it
> (mainly US put your foot in your mouth) informal
> 
> 
> to say something by accident which embarrasses or upsets someone​
> 
> I really put my foot in it with Alison. I had no idea she was divorced.


 

Source: Cambridge Advanced Learners' Dictionary​ 
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/put-your-foot-in-it​ 
*3. the application. For example:*

A：你的太太好吗？

B：我们离婚了。
A：对不起，请原谅我的失言​

*4:狗嘴吐不出象牙*​ 
(1) It is swearing. In Mandarin, if we refer to a person is a dog, it is a severe insult. I don't see the English idiom is an insult.

(2) 狗嘴吐不出象牙 doesn't necessarily refer to say something inappropriate by accident. e.g. 他这个嘴巴总是不干不净，成天说脏话，真是狗嘴吐不出象牙。


When we say a person has 狗嘴，the guy never says anthing good.​ 
5: I don't think "put your foot in your mouth" is a pun but a a metaphor. No one can put his/her real foot in his/her mouth.​ 
English and Chinese are different languages with different cultural backgrounds each. Unfortunately there aren't always the same expressions.​


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## xiaolijie

Daffodil said:
			
		

> I don't think "put your foot in your mouth" is a pun but a a metaphor. No one can put his/her real foot in his/her mouth.


Babies do. They put their foot (big toe) in their mouth while babbling away, and that probably is the origin of "putting foot in mouth" while saying things that we may later feel regret or embarrassed about


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## Daffodil100

xiaolijie said:


> Babies do. They put their foot in their mouth while babbling meaningless noises, and that is the origin of "put foot in mouth" while 失言


 
Could you tell us the reference about the origin you claim?

Here are two links about the orgin of the idiom, both of them indicate that idiom was invented by Irish Parliamentarian Sir Boyle Roche.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/20/messages/1189.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_Put_his_foot_in_his_mouth


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## Daffodil100

BODYholic said:


> 失言 means misspeak.
> 
> ...


 

The other sources also indicate "put your foot in your mouth" can refer to misspeak.





> Actually this is an idiom, it means To misspeak; to say something embarrassing or wrong. ex:- I really put my foot in my mouth during the interview_._


 

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_Put_his_foot_in_his_mouth#ixzz198MGacey

​


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## BODYholic

Daffodil100 said:


> The other sources also indicate "put your foot in your mouth" can refer to misspeak.


I didn't say misspeak is an incorrect translation but it doesn't convey the tone like the English language does. And your 'other source' did not indicate that it has to be 'by accident'.

In fact, here, here, here and here made no claim that it has to be 'by accident'. In any case, when you say someone put his foot in his mouth. It is merely an opinion. How can you be sure that it is 'by accident' or 'intentional'?

The gist of the idiom, is exactly what xiaolijie had said, saying things that we may later feel regret or embarrassed about. Another word, it's blunder or a slip.


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## BODYholic

Daffodil100 said:


> *4:狗嘴吐不出象牙*​
> (1) It is swearing. In Mandarin, if we refer to a person is a dog, it is a severe insult. I don't see the English idiom is an insult.



It's definitely not a swear in Singapore. Would you mind sharing with us which region are you from. It would be a learning experience for some of us here.



Daffodil100 said:


> (2) 狗嘴吐不出象牙 _doesn't necessarily_ refer to say something inappropriate by accident. e.g. 他这个嘴巴总是不干不净，成天说脏话，真是狗嘴吐不出象牙


Of course, it doesn't always necessary. In this case, suffice it to say 狗嘴吐不出象牙 means saying something inappropriate.


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## Daffodil100

BODYholic said:


> It's definitely not a swear in Singapore. Would you mind sharing with us which region are you from. It would be a learning experience for some of us here.
> 
> Of course, it doesn't always necessary. In this case, suffice it to say 狗嘴吐不出象牙 means saying something inappropriate.


 
I am from the mainland of China. 

In English culture, a dog is a cute family member. In Chinese traditional culture, dogs have been despised as 汉奸走狗，狗奴才，狗屎，狗屁，etc. when it comes to some people and their behaviour, remarks,etc.

Many online Chinese dictionaries define 狗嘴吐不出象牙 as _），比喻坏人嘴里说不出好话来。也说狗嘴长不出象牙._


If you can quote the definition of 狗嘴吐不象牙 in a Singapore-edited Chinese dictionary, I will be interested in it.


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## Daffodil100

BODYholic said:


> I didn't say misspeak is an incorrect translation but it doesn't convey the tone like the English language does. And your 'other source' did not indicate that it has to be 'by accident'.
> 
> In fact, here, here, here and here made no claim that it has to be 'by accident'. In any case, when you say someone put his foot in his mouth. It is merely an opinion. How can you be sure that it is 'by accident' or 'intentional'?
> 
> The gist of the idiom, is exactly what xiaolijie had said, saying things that we may later feel regret or embarrassed about. Another word, it's blunder or a slip.


 
I don't want to challenge British linguists who edited the dictionary which is also recommended by wordreference forum of English Only, since I am not a linguist. 

The dictionary was published by Cambridge University Press.



> Cambridge University Press publishes the finest academic and educational writing from around the world. As a department of the University of Cambridge, its purpose is to further the University's objective of advancing ..... Cambridge is not just a leading British publisher, it is the oldest printer and publisher in the world and one of the largest academic publishers globally.


http://www.cambridge.org/

*Take it or leave it, I leaves it to the discretion of yours and other forumites as well.*


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## BODYholic

Daffodil100 said:


> I am from the mainland of China.


It's good to learn that 狗咀吐不出象牙 is considered as a swearing in China. I'm pretty sure it's an eye-opener to a few of us here. I'll take note of that.



Daffodil100 said:


> Many online Chinese dictionaries define 狗嘴吐不出象牙 as _），比喻坏人嘴里说不出好话来。也说狗嘴长不出象牙._
> If you can quote the definition of 狗嘴吐不象牙 in a Singapore-edited Chinese dictionary, I will be interested in it.


This is off-topic but since you asked. I've not checked any local published dictionary but I reckon that it would have the same meaning as what you've cited. But isn't "_说不出好话来_" means saying something inappropriate.

In contemporary Chinese (may be not in China), we do hear people telling friends "别狗咀吐不出象牙", even though their friends are not necessarily "_坏人_". 别一本通书看到老.



Daffodil100 said:


> *Take it or leave it, I leaves it to the discretion of yours and other forumites as well.*


You may take it that I leave it then.


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## samanthalee

I tend to agree with Bodyholic about 狗嘴吐不出象牙 being a possible translation for *put your foot in your mouth* for a given context. Maybe because we are from the same region. But we have to note that not all *put your foot in your mouth* mean 狗嘴吐不出象牙. And of course not all 狗嘴吐不出象牙 mean *put your foot in your mouth*. It is rather difficult to find a perfect one-to-one translation between languages with vastly different cultures.


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## Daffodil100

BODYholic said:


> It's good to learn that 狗咀吐不出象牙 is considered as a swearing in China. I'm pretty sure it's an eye-opener to a few of us here. I'll take note of that.


 
It is a pity that you don't have a Chinese dictionary at hand. 

The Ministry of Education of Singapore has officially sanctioned a list of Chinese dictionaries in Singapore. One of them is 新华字典。

Here's URL : http://www.oocities.com/sunlaoshi/classroom/dictionary.htm

According to 新华字典 which is one of the most popular and authoritative Chinese dictionaries in China, here's the definition of 狗嘴吐不出象牙.



> *狗嘴吐不出象牙 *
> 
> 比喻坏人口里说不出好话。也作“狗嘴长不出象牙”


 
Source: 《新华字典》

http://www.xhzd.org/hanzi/6270.html


The Ministry of Education of Singapore would put its foot in its mouth if it didn't recognise the definition in the dictionaries it has sanctioned, would't it? (It is obviously inappropriate if I say 新加坡教育部狗嘴吐不出象牙 in such a case, but 新加坡教育部失言了）

I don't have any objection that you or a few of you here would like to take it. But it has to be careful to recommend people to use this slang as an equivalent to "put his foot in his mouth" according to your own understanding/interpretation, *unless you know they will never use it in China to offend other people* unintentionally casting aside in Singapore.

By the bye, I think 咀 is an obsolete Singaporean version of Chinese character, it has been 嘴 in Singapore since 1976 same as that in China .

Anyway, you still can leave it, and I still can take it. Let's agree at disagree. I have put forward my own opinion enough. I am not going to go on. 

Have a good one!


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## Lamb67

I would have been glad to be able to produce ivory from my mouth, thus I personally don't take it as an offence.

出洋相，is my version.


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## Jerry Chan

Dictionary explanation is one thing, but sometimes actual use is another. 

While we use 狗嘴長不出象牙 to refer to those who keep bad-mouthing, it's equally common in where BODYholic and I live that we use it to joke with our friends or blame them for inappropriate remarks.

And I think I understand why both BODYholic and Samantha proposed 狗嘴長不出象牙.
Imagine that A says this to B:
You really put your foot in your mouth. Why diy you ask her about her job? Didn't you know she'd just been fired?
In our regions, we might put it this way:
你真是狗嘴長不出象牙！問她工作的事情幹嘛? 你不知道她剛被炒了魷魚嗎?

Not that "失言" is wrong, but it's considered too "tame" a word in this situation.

Of course, regional differences play a big part in different interpretations.


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