IdiomFood & DrinkDanish

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

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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.

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