
IdiomFood & Drink
Danish
At træde i spinaten
Meaning: To put your foot in it; to blunder.
Literally: To step in the spinach
Example: “Jeg trådte i spinaten og spurgte, hvornår hun skulle føde.” — I put my foot in it and asked when her baby was due.
English equivalent: To put one's foot in it
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: Meter la pata Literally: To put the paw in
French: Mettre les pieds dans le plat Literally: To put one's feet in the dish
Portuguese: meter os pés pelas mãos Literally: To put the feet through the hands
German: Ins Fettnäpfchen treten Literally: To step into the little grease potEnglish: put one's foot in it
Origin: Stepping into the spinach is putting one's foot in it: making a blunder, especially a social one. The phrase is colloquial Danish, and why spinach is not documented.
More Danish idioms
- At score kassen To make a big, easy profit.
- At slå koldt vand i blodet To calm down and keep a cool head.
- At gå agurk To go crazy or berserk.
- At have rotter på loftet To be a little crazy.
- Det blæser en halv pelikan It is extremely windy.
- At tisse i bukserne for at holde varmen A quick fix that makes the problem worse soon after.
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