French expression: Mettre les pieds dans le plat

Comments

July 16, 2010 at 10:53 am

(1) Terry says:

Merci beaucoup pour cet enseignement dans la langue française. Et en particulier pour essayer de distinguer les distinctions subtiles entre ces idiomes.

July 16, 2010 at 2:11 pm

(2) Clez says:

Laura!
Just wanted to let you know how wonderful your blog is! It’s immensely helpful- especially Le Mot du Jour and the French expressions- as I try to learn the language.

Also, I read through (in French!) your description of your life- and goodness, I’m envious!

November 22, 2011 at 8:12 am

(3) Sarah says:

In NZ and Australia we use the term “put your foot in it”. To mean you have done or said something foolish, I guess this is the same meaning as the french expression.

March 11, 2012 at 11:01 am

(4) John Weeks says:

Hi, Laura,

Would “to talk out of turn” be a good equivalent? To my ear it conveys the idea of saying something indiscreet or inappropriate without being embarrassed — in fact, it usually means that the speaker does so in a deliberately challenging way.

I can’t tell you how much I admire what you have created with your French site at About.com. I have been going to it almost daily for the past six months in order to resuscitate my high-school French from 40 years ago. I have learned tons of things I never knew in the first place. Your site is comprehensive and authoritative — and fun! I speak as a former teacher of college-level Russian, so I have some insight into what goes on derrière les coulisses pédagogiques! Amitiés, John

. . . . . . . . . .

Bonjour John,

Thank you for your kind words about my site. I put a lot into it, and it’s always a pleasure to read about how it helps my virtual students.

Yes, “to talk out of turn” or “to speak out of turn” are other possible translations. Merci !

Laura K. Lawless
Learn French at About