Ins Fettnäpfchen treten
Meaning: To commit an embarrassing social blunder.
Language: German
Literally: To step into the little grease pot
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: From farmhouse grease pots set by the door; tread in one and you've made a clumsy, awkward mess.
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
- Danish: At træde i spinaten — literally: To step in the spinach
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Estar en el ajo — To be in on a secret or scheme.
- Tener mala uva — To have a nasty temper or ill intentions.
- Ponerse como una sopa — To get soaked to the bone.
- Estar hasta en la sopa — To be everywhere; impossible to avoid.
- Liscio come l'olio — To go off without a hitch.
- Tutto fa brodo — Every little bit helps.
More German idioms
- Eulen nach Athen tragen — To do something utterly pointless.
- Hummeln im Hintern haben — To be unable to sit still.
- Das ist nicht das Gelbe vom Ei — It's not ideal; not quite good enough.
- Alles in Butter — Everything is fine and under control.
- Aus dem Häuschen sein — To be beside yourself with excitement.
- Jemandem auf den Keks gehen — To get on someone's nerves.
From our proverbs
- You would make me believe the moon is made of green cheese. — Absurd claims require absurd evidence; gullibility has limits even when persuasion is ski…
- Fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple. — Don't obsess over minor possessions when greater structures—relationships, principles, li…
- Bend the twig while it is young. — Early correction of a child's character or habits proves far more effective than attempti…