tread on someone's toes
Meaning: To offend someone, especially by interfering in what they see as their business.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “I asked about the schedule carefully, so as not to tread on the manager's toes.”
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Stepping on a person's foot is a small but unmistakable trespass. The phrase is found in English from the 16th century; Americans usually say "step on someone's toes."
Equivalents in other languages
- German: vor den Kopf stoßen — literally: to push before the head
- German: auf den Schlips treten — literally: to step on the necktie
More idioms — Body & Senses
- get under someone's feet — To be in the way while someone is trying to work.
- keep one's feet on the ground — To stay realistic and unaffected by success.
- become second nature — To become so familiar that one does it without thinking.
- start off on the wrong foot — To begin something badly.
- take one's breath away — To astonish someone with beauty or surprise.
- go away empty-handed — To get nothing at all.
More English idioms
- behind the scenes — Out of public view, where the real work or decisions happen.
- kick up a fuss — To complain loudly and cause a commotion.
- cry at the drop of a hat — To burst into tears very easily.
- been there, done that — Said of an experience one already knows well, often with a shrug.
- think outside the box — To find an unconventional solution.
- not get off the ground — To fail to make any progress at all.
From our proverbs
- The world is his who knows how to wait for it. — Patience allows strategic advantage; those who resist rushing seize opportunities others…
- The world was never so dull but if one won't another will. — Opportunity always finds a willing participant if the first person refuses it.
- This world is nothing except it tend to the next. — Earthly pursuits lack purpose unless they cultivate spiritual growth and eternal salvatio…