singe one's wings
To sustain harm, loss or ruin by doing some risky or perilous deed.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He tried to cheat, but he only singed his wings.”
“She invested all her savings in that risky startup and singed her wings when it went bankrupt.”
“The manager singed his wings after he ignored the safety warnings and tried to speed up production without checking the equipment first.”
“By recklessly challenging the established power structure, the young politician singed his wings and ended his career prematurely.”
From Hellenic mythology, where the engineer Daedalus and his son Icarus fled the Cretan labyrinth of Knossos using wings fashioned from feathers and wax. The escape required a precise middle course; Daedalus instructed his son to fly neither too low, where the sea's dampness might clog the feathers, nor too high, where the sun's heat would melt the adhesive.
Icarus proved unheeding of the bidding and flew too near to the sun. The wax melted, the wings failed, and he fell from the sky into the Aegean Sea where he drowned. The phrase survives as an allusion to the specific tactical error of overreaching one's equipment.
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abound in one's own sense
To follow one’s own inclinations and opinions.
- 02
ace up one's sleeve
A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
- 03
act one's age
To behave in a manner appropriate to one's age.
- 04
act one's age, not one's shoe size
Synonym of act one's age (“to behave in a mature manner; to avoid being childish”).
- 05
afraid of one's own shadow
Exceptionally timid.
- 06
air one's dirty laundry in public
To reveal one's sordid secrets to the public.
- 07
air one's dirty linen in public
Synonym of air one's dirty laundry in public.
- 08
albatross around one's neck
A characteristic, possession, associate, or previous deed that hinders one's ability to succeed.
Last updated August 10, 2026