ENGLISH
REFERENCE

foot-in-mouth disease

idiom
Meaning

A tendency to make remarks that are embarrassingly wrong or inappropriate.


Origin

disputed origin

Humorous conflation of foot-and-mouth disease and put one's foot in one's mouth.

Examples
SIMPLE

He always says the wrong thing because he has foot-in-mouth disease.

CONTEXTUAL

I really tried to be polite at the dinner party, but my foot-in-mouth disease made me insult the host's cooking.

COMPLEX

Despite his best intentions to remain diplomatic during the negotiations, his chronic foot-in-mouth disease caused him to offend the delegates with an ill-timed joke.

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