「美國習慣用語」第四十四講
to put one's foot in one's mouth
有的人一開始就給人一個壞印像是怎麼說的呢？ You should say: to get off on the wrong foot。 To get off on the wrong foot，這是指某人一開始就沒給人一個好印象，或一開始由於某種行為而把事情弄糟了。下面這句話裏說的這個人就是一個例子：
例句-1: When Joe went to his new job, he got off on the wrong foot. On the first morning he upset his new boss by arriving at the store two hours late. And right now he's out looking for a job again.
這個人說：“喬找到了一份新的工作,可是他剛開始到那家店裏去上班時就給人一個壞印象。第一天上班他就晚到兩個小時，讓他的老闆好不高興。現在他又在找工作了。”
To get off on the wrong foot這個俗語實際上可以適用於任何情況。下面一個例子是一個男學生在說他交女朋友的情況：
例句-2: I finally got a date with that new girl in class but I sure got off on the wrong foot with her: I had car trouble and got to her place almost two hours late.
他說：“那天我終於和班上新來的那個女同學約好了出去玩。可是，當天我的車出了問題，晚了兩個小時才去接她，所以我一開頭就把事弄糟了。”
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有意無意做錯事、說錯話的情況是很經常的。下面我們要講的一個俗語就是無意中說錯了話而傷害了別人，或者叫自己很不好意思。這個俗語就是：to put your foot in your mouth。
我們來舉個例子看看什麼樣的情況才 to put your foot in your mouth：
例句-3: When Sally told that silly joke about the sailor with one leg she really put her foot in her mouth. She didn't know the man across the dinner table had a brother at home in a wheelchair.
這句話翻成中文就是：“沙莉吃晚飯時說了一個笑話，拿一個只有一條腿的水手開玩笑。她可不知道坐在飯桌對面那個人的哥哥就是個殘廢，行動都得靠輪椅。”Sally如果事後了解情況的話,她肯定會說: "Well, I certainly have put my foot in my mouth."
下面我們再來舉一個例子:
例句-4: I certainly put my foot in my mouth at the party last night when I asked Mister Brown to say hello to his wife for me. Somehow I'd forgotten that his wife died six months ago.
這人說：“我昨晚在那個聚會上無意中說錯了話。我讓布朗先生替我向他的太太問好。不知怎麼回事，我忘了他太太已經在半年前去世了。”