ENGLISH
REFERENCE

guilt trip

idiom
Meaning

A feeling of shame or embarrassment, especially if self-indulgent, unwarranted, exaggerated or felt over a significant period of time.


Origin

first recorded 20th c.

From guilt + trip. First use appears c. 1972 in the novel Any Minute I Can Split by Judith Rossner.

Examples
SIMPLE

Do not try to guilt trip me into doing your chores.

CONTEXTUAL

My mother tried to guilt trip me for not visiting her enough, even though I call every week.

COMPLEX

He often used a subtle guilt trip to manipulate his colleagues, making them feel responsible for his own lack of progress on the project.

Anchors to
Related idioms3entries
  1. 01

    bad trip

    An acute adverse psychological reaction to the effects produced under the influence of psychoactive substances, namely hallucinogens.

  2. 02

    trip out

    To have as an image in one's mind.

  3. 03

    trip to the woodshed

    An occasion on which a reprimand or punishment is administered privately.

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