shoot oneself in the foot
To act against one's own interests; to unintentionally behave self-destructively.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He shot himself in the foot by lying to his boss.”
“By refusing to apologize for his mistake, he really shot himself in the foot during the salary negotiation.”
“The politician shot himself in the foot when he made those controversial remarks, effectively destroying his chances of winning the upcoming election.”
- 01
adorn oneself with borrowed plumes
To claim the honor of another for oneself.
- 02
apply oneself
Synonym of strive: to work hard, to complete an activity with good effort and focus.
- 03
be oneself
To behave or act naturally, without regard to how this behavior is perceived by others.
- 04
bear oneself
To behave and conduct oneself in a particular manner.
- 05
beat feet
To run.
- 06
box oneself into a corner
To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
- 07
buy a dog and bark oneself
To do something that one has hired someone else to do.
- 08
carry oneself
To move, especially emphasizing the manner in which one moves.
Last updated August 10, 2026