有意无意做错事，说错话的情况是很经常的。下面我们要讲的一个俗语就是无意中说错了话而伤害了别人。这个俗语就是：to put your foot in your mouth。

例如：When Sally told that silly joke about the sailor with one leg she really put her foot in her mouth. She didn’t know the man across the dinner table had a brother at home in a wheelchair.

萨莉吃晚饭时说了一个笑话，她拿一个只有一条腿的水手开玩笑。她可不知道坐在饭桌对面那个人的哥哥就是个残废，行动都得靠轮椅。

Sally如果事后了解情况的话肯定会说：Well, I certainly have put my foot in my mouth.

又如：　　I certainly put my foot in my mouth at the party last night when I asked Mister Brown to say hello to his wife for me. Somehow I’d forgotten that his wife died six months ago.

我昨晚在那个聚会上无意中说错了话。我让布朗先生替我向他的太太问好。不知怎么回事，我忘了他太太已经在半年前去世了。