meter la pata

to put one's foot in it

meter la pata(meh-tehr lah pah-tah)

intransitive verb phrase

1. (idiom) (general)

a. to put one's foot in it (idiom)

No estaba seguro de lo que estaba hablando. Si me hubiera callado, no habría metido la pata.

I wasn't sure what I was talking about. Had I shut up I wouldn't have put my foot in it.

b. to put one's foot in one's mouth (idiom)

(United States)

Metí la pata hablando del amor eterno cuando acababan de divorciarse. ¡Pero no sabía nada!

I put my foot in my mouth talking about eternal love when they had just divorced. But I didn't know!

c. to mess up

Metimos la pata al comprar este armario. Es demasiado pequeño.

We messed up when we bought this wardrobe. It's far too small.

d. to make a blunder

Lucía estaba avergonzada por haber metido la pata de esa manera con un comentario tan indiscreto.

Lucia was embarrassed by the terrible blunder she'd made with her rather tactless remark.

e. to blunder

El gobierno metió la pata sometiendo una decisión tan importante a votación pública.

The government blundered on putting such an important decision to a public vote.

f. to mess things up

No me atrevo a reparar el auto yo solo. No quiero meter la pata.

I don't dare fix the car myself. I don't want to mess things up.

g. to make a mess of it

Esta vez sí que metiste la pata. Te dije que no se lo contaras a nadie, ¿no?

You really made a mess of it this time. I told you not to tell anyone, didn't I?

h. to make a faux pas (socially)

Creo que Luis metió la pata ofreciéndole el asiento a la chica con el barrigón. Me temo que no está embarazada.

I think Luis made a faux pas by offering his seat to the young woman with the potbelly. I'm afraid she's not pregnant.