Shame is something everyone experiences at some point in their lives. It can make us feel embarrassed or guilty about something we’ve done or said. There are many ways people express these feelings, and one of the most common ways is through idioms. Idioms are phrases that have meanings different from the literal meanings of the words. They help us talk about feelings and situations in a more creative and interesting way.
In this article, we will look at some idioms about shame. These idioms can help us understand how people talk about feeling bad or embarrassed in different situations. Some idioms may be funny, while others are serious, but all of them give us a way to express these strong emotions. Let’s explore these phrases and learn how they are used in everyday conversation.
Idioms About Shame
1. Hang your head in shame
Meaning: To feel embarrassed or guilty about something you did.
Example Sentence:
- After lying to his friend, he hung his head in shame.
- She hung her head in shame when she dropped her lunch in front of everyone.
Other ways to say: Feel embarrassed, feel guilty, feel ashamed
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of lowering your head when you’re ashamed.
Usage: Used when someone feels bad about their actions.
2. Eat humble pie
Meaning: To admit that you were wrong and apologize.
Example Sentence:
- After losing the game, Jason had to eat humble pie and admit his mistake.
- She had to eat humble pie after insulting her teacher.
Other ways to say: Apologize, admit fault, say you’re sorry
Fun Fact/Origin: “Humble pie” was once a dish made from less desirable parts of meat, symbolizing humility.
Usage: Used when someone admits they were wrong and apologizes.
3. Save face
Meaning: To avoid embarrassment or to protect your reputation.
Example Sentence:
- He tried to save face by pretending he didn’t care about losing the match.
- After the mistake, she did her best to save face in front of her coworkers.
Other ways to say: Protect your reputation, avoid embarrassment
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom comes from the idea of keeping a calm, composed face in a difficult situation.
Usage: Often used in situations where someone tries to hide their shame.
4. A red face
Meaning: To feel embarrassed or ashamed.
Example Sentence:
- She had a red face after forgetting her lines in the school play.
- His red face showed that he was ashamed of what he had done.
Other ways to say: Blush, feel embarrassed, turn red
Fun Fact/Origin: When we’re embarrassed, our face often turns red due to increased blood flow.
Usage: Describes the physical sign of feeling embarrassed.
5. Put your foot in your mouth
Meaning: To say something embarrassing or wrong by accident.
Example Sentence:
- I really put my foot in my mouth when I accidentally insulted my friend’s cooking.
- He put his foot in his mouth when he mentioned his friend’s secret in front of everyone.
Other ways to say: Say something stupid, make a mistake, embarrass yourself
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of saying something that’s as embarrassing as putting your foot in your mouth.
Usage: Used when someone says something they regret.
6. Face the music
Meaning: To accept the consequences of your actions, even if they are embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- After breaking the vase, he had to face the music and tell his parents.
- She faced the music when she had to explain why she was late.
Other ways to say: Own up, accept responsibility, take the heat
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase likely comes from the idea of facing a tough performance or judgment, like a musician facing the audience.
Usage: Used when someone has to deal with the consequences of their actions.
7. Be caught red-handed
Meaning: To be caught doing something wrong or embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- He was caught red-handed eating the last cookie in the jar.
- She was caught red-handed cheating during the test.
Other ways to say: Get caught, be caught in the act, get busted
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom originally referred to being caught with blood on your hands after committing a crime.
Usage: Used when someone is caught doing something wrong.
8. Drop the ball
Meaning: To make a mistake or fail at something.
Example Sentence:
- I really dropped the ball when I forgot my friend’s birthday.
- She dropped the ball by not studying for the exam.
Other ways to say: Mess up, fail, make a mistake
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from sports where dropping the ball can lead to failure.
Usage: Used when someone fails at something important.
9. Eat crow
Meaning: To admit you were wrong and accept the consequences.
Example Sentence:
- After arguing about the movie, he had to eat crow when he realized he was wrong.
- She had to eat crow after accusing her friend of cheating.
Other ways to say: Admit fault, say you were wrong, apologize
Fun Fact/Origin: Eating crow is thought to be a very unpleasant experience, symbolizing the difficulty of admitting a mistake.
Usage: Used when someone has to apologize after being wrong.
10. Have egg on your face
Meaning: To feel embarrassed because of something you did.
Example Sentence:
- He had egg on his face when his surprise party was a disaster.
- After losing the bet, she had egg on her face in front of her friends.
Other ways to say: Be embarrassed, feel foolish, feel stupid
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea that egg on your face makes you look messy and embarrassed.
Usage: Describes the feeling of being embarrassed or caught in a mistake.
11. Make a fool of yourself
Meaning: To behave in a way that makes you look silly or embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- I made a fool of myself when I tripped and fell in front of the class.
- She made a fool of herself by talking too much during the meeting.
Other ways to say: Embarrass yourself, act foolish, look silly
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase simply refers to acting in a way that makes others think you are foolish.
Usage: Used when someone does something embarrassing or silly.
12. Put your tail between your legs
Meaning: To feel ashamed or defeated after something goes wrong.
Example Sentence:
- After his team lost, he put his tail between his legs and left the field.
- She put her tail between her legs after getting a bad grade.
Other ways to say: Feel ashamed, feel defeated, feel embarrassed
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from how dogs tuck their tails when they are scared or ashamed.
Usage: Used to describe feeling ashamed after a failure.
13. Sweat bullets
Meaning: To feel extremely nervous or embarrassed.
Example Sentence:
- He was sweating bullets before giving his speech.
- She was sweating bullets when she had to confess to her mistake.
Other ways to say: Feel nervous, feel anxious, be stressed
Fun Fact/Origin: Sweating bullets refers to the physical signs of nervousness or embarrassment.
Usage: Used when someone is nervous or embarrassed about a situation.
14. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: To show your emotions openly, especially when embarrassed or ashamed.
Example Sentence:
- She wears her heart on her sleeve, so everyone knew she was upset.
- After the argument, he wore his heart on his sleeve and couldn’t hide his feelings.
Other ways to say: Show emotions, be open, wear your emotions
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of wearing a heart symbol on your sleeve to show your feelings.
Usage: Describes someone who openly shows their feelings, including shame.
15. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something difficult or embarrassing even though you don’t want to.
Example Sentence:
- She had to bite the bullet and apologize after making a mistake.
- He bit the bullet and confessed he had broken the vase.
Other ways to say: Face the challenge, take responsibility, do the tough thing
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from soldiers biting on a bullet during surgery to cope with pain.
Usage: Used when someone has to do something tough or embarrassing.
16. Go red in the face
Meaning: To become embarrassed or ashamed, causing your face to turn red.
Example Sentence:
- He went red in the face when his friends teased him about his new haircut.
- She went red in the face after tripping in front of everyone.
Other ways to say: Blush, feel embarrassed, turn pink
Fun Fact/Origin: When we’re embarrassed, blood rushes to our face, causing it to turn red.
Usage: Used when someone feels embarrassed, and their face turns red.
17. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that cannot be fixed or changed.
Example Sentence:
- It’s no use crying over spilled milk; just clean it up and move on.
- After making the mistake, he spent too much time crying over spilled milk instead of fixing it.
Other ways to say: Don’t dwell on mistakes, move on, let it go
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom comes from the idea that once milk is spilled, you can’t put it back in the bottle.
Usage: Used to tell someone not to be upset about something that can’t be fixed.
18. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
Meaning: To trick someone or make them believe something false.
Example Sentence:
- He tried to pull the wool over his teacher’s eyes by pretending he had finished the project.
- She was caught pulling the wool over her friend’s eyes about the surprise party.
Other ways to say: Trick, deceive, fool
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom comes from the idea of covering someone’s eyes with wool to hide the truth.
Usage: Used when someone deceives or tricks another person.
19. Feel like a fish out of water
Meaning: To feel uncomfortable or out of place.
Example Sentence:
- At the new school, he felt like a fish out of water.
- She felt like a fish out of water at the party because she didn’t know anyone.
Other ways to say: Feel awkward, feel out of place, feel uncomfortable
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase describes how a fish looks when it’s out of water and struggling.
Usage: Used to describe feeling awkward or out of place.
20. Take the blame
Meaning: To accept responsibility for something wrong or embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- He took the blame for breaking the window, even though it wasn’t his fault.
- She took the blame for the mistake at work.
Other ways to say: Accept responsibility, own up, admit fault
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom simply means to accept the guilt or responsibility for something.
Usage: Used when someone accepts responsibility for something wrong.
21. Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Meaning: To go from one bad situation to an even worse one.
Example Sentence:
- I thought my job interview was bad, but the next one was out of the frying pan and into the fire.
- She left one bad relationship and found herself out of the frying pan and into the fire with another.
Other ways to say: Get into worse trouble, face bigger problems, get into a worse situation
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of jumping from a hot frying pan into an even hotter fire.
Usage: Used when things get worse after trying to escape a bad situation.
22. Get cold feet
Meaning: To become nervous or scared about something, especially at the last minute.
Example Sentence:
- He got cold feet before his big presentation and almost didn’t show up.
- She got cold feet and didn’t want to perform in the play after all.
Other ways to say: Get nervous, feel scared, have doubts
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase likely comes from the idea that cold feet make you hesitant to move forward.
Usage: Used when someone is nervous or has second thoughts at the last moment.
23. A slip of the tongue
Meaning: To say something by accident, especially something embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- He made a slip of the tongue and accidentally called his teacher by the wrong name.
- She had a slip of the tongue and accidentally told her friend’s secret.
Other ways to say: Mistake, blunder, say the wrong thing
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase refers to making a mistake when speaking, almost like a small, accidental “slip.”
Usage: Used when someone says something by accident.
24. Wash your dirty linen in public
Meaning: To discuss private or embarrassing matters in public.
Example Sentence:
- They shouldn’t wash their dirty linen in public by arguing in front of everyone.
- It’s not right to wash your dirty linen in public, especially about family issues.
Other ways to say: Air your grievances, discuss personal matters, share private issues
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of airing dirty laundry, which people used to wash privately, not in public.
Usage: Used when someone discusses their private matters in front of others.
25. Put the cart before the horse
Meaning: To do things in the wrong order or in a confusing way.
Example Sentence:
- He put the cart before the horse by buying a new car before paying off his debt.
- She put the cart before the horse when she started decorating the house before finishing the construction.
Other ways to say: Do things backwards, get things mixed up, mess up the order
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of putting a cart in front of a horse, which makes no sense.
Usage: Used when someone does something in the wrong order.
26. Behind closed doors
Meaning: To do something secretly or privately.
Example Sentence:
- The meeting about the company’s future was held behind closed doors.
- They made their decision behind closed doors, away from public attention.
Other ways to say: In private, secretly, behind the scenes
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom likely comes from the idea of keeping things hidden behind doors where no one can see.
Usage: Used when something is done in private, away from the public eye.
27. A bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: Something hard to accept or embarrassing.
Example Sentence:
- Losing the championship was a bitter pill to swallow for the team.
- Being wrong about the project was a bitter pill to swallow for her.
Other ways to say: Hard to accept, tough to deal with, hard to take
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of swallowing medicine that is unpleasant, but necessary.
Usage: Used when someone has to accept something difficult or embarrassing.
28. Be in hot water
Meaning: To be in trouble, especially after doing something wrong.
Example Sentence:
- He was in hot water after skipping class without permission.
- She got in hot water for being late to the meeting.
Other ways to say: Be in trouble, face consequences, be in a tough spot
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of being in hot water, which is uncomfortable and unpleasant.
Usage: Used when someone is in trouble because of their actions.
29. Burn your bridges
Meaning: To do something that makes it impossible to go back to a previous situation.
Example Sentence:
- He burned his bridges with his old friends by saying hurtful things.
- She burned her bridges with the company by quitting without notice.
Other ways to say: Close a door, ruin a relationship, end things permanently
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom likely comes from the idea of burning a bridge, making it impossible to return across it.
Usage: Used when someone does something that permanently ends a relationship or opportunity.
30. Get your wires crossed
Meaning: To misunderstand or confuse something.
Example Sentence:
- We got our wires crossed and showed up at different times for the meeting.
- She got her wires crossed when she thought the party was on Friday instead of Saturday.
Other ways to say: Misunderstand, get mixed up, be confused
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of electrical wires getting tangled or mixed up, causing confusion.
Usage: Used when there’s a misunderstanding or confusion between people.
31. Keep a low profile
Meaning: To avoid drawing attention to yourself, especially when you’re embarrassed.
Example Sentence:
- After the argument, she decided to keep a low profile at school for a while.
- He kept a low profile after the embarrassing mistake during the game.
Other ways to say: Stay out of sight, stay quiet, avoid attention
Fun Fact/Origin: The idea is to stay hidden or unnoticed, like keeping low to the ground.
Usage: Used when someone avoids drawing attention to themselves, especially after an embarrassing event.
32. Put your foot in it
Meaning: To say something embarrassing or inappropriate without meaning to.
Example Sentence:
- He put his foot in it when he mentioned his friend’s secret at the party.
- She put her foot in it by commenting on her coworker’s weight.
Other ways to say: Make a mistake, say the wrong thing, embarrass yourself
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase is similar to “put your foot in your mouth,” both meaning to make an embarrassing mistake while speaking.
Usage: Used when someone says something awkward or embarrassing by accident.
33. A thorn in your side
Meaning: Someone or something that causes constant trouble or annoyance.
Example Sentence:
- The constant teasing became a thorn in her side at school.
- He was a thorn in his boss’s side, always making mistakes.
Other ways to say: Be a nuisance, be a problem, cause trouble
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase refers to how a thorn constantly causes pain or irritation.
Usage: Used to describe something or someone who causes ongoing trouble or irritation.
34. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm or ask for help when it’s not needed.
Example Sentence:
- He cried wolf too many times, so no one believed him when he really needed help.
- She cried wolf about the deadline, but it was just an excuse to get out of work.
Other ways to say: Fake an emergency, lie for attention, give a false alarm
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from a story where a boy falsely cries out that a wolf is attacking the sheep, only to be ignored when the real danger comes.
Usage: Used when someone makes a false claim or exaggerates a problem.
35. Cut your losses
Meaning: To stop doing something that is causing harm or trouble.
Example Sentence:
- After failing the test, she decided to cut her losses and study harder for the next one.
- He cut his losses and stopped trying to fix the broken car.
Other ways to say: Stop while you’re ahead, give up, move on
Fun Fact/Origin: The phrase comes from the idea of stopping a losing game to avoid further losses.
Usage: Used when someone decides to stop something that isn’t working to avoid further problems.
36. A black mark on your record
Meaning: A mistake or event that harms your reputation.
Example Sentence:
- Being late to work was a black mark on his record.
- The cheating incident left a black mark on her school record.
Other ways to say: A stain on your reputation, a bad mark, a flaw
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom refers to a mark or stain that permanently affects something, like a person’s reputation.
Usage: Used when something damages a person’s reputation or record.
37. Take the heat
Meaning: To take responsibility for something or endure criticism.
Example Sentence:
- He took the heat for the team’s poor performance.
- She took the heat when the project failed.
Other ways to say: Face the criticism, take responsibility, bear the brunt
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase comes from the idea of enduring the “heat” or pressure of a difficult situation.
Usage: Used when someone takes responsibility for a problem or receives criticism.
38. Face the music
Meaning: To face the consequences of your actions.
Example Sentence:
- After breaking the rules, he had to face the music and apologize.
- She faced the music when she admitted she had cheated.
Other ways to say: Take responsibility, accept the consequences, deal with the problem
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase likely comes from military bands that played music to announce the arrival of someone who had done wrong.
Usage: Used when someone must deal with the consequences of their actions.
Quiz: Idioms About Shame
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does “get cold feet” mean?
A) To feel nervous or scared
B) To go for a run outside
C) To wear warm socks in the winter
2. If you “cry wolf,” what are you doing?
A) Helping someone in need
B) Lying about something that isn’t true
C) Saving a wolf from danger
3. What does it mean to “put your foot in it”?
A) To step into something messy
B) To say something embarrassing by accident
C) To find a new pair of shoes
4. If someone “burns their bridges,” what have they done?
A) Built something new
B) Ended a relationship or opportunity for good
C) Fixed a problem
5. When you “wash your dirty linen in public,” what are you doing?
A) Doing laundry in front of others
B) Talking about your personal problems in front of others
C) Wearing dirty clothes
6. If you’re “in hot water,” what does that mean?
A) You’re relaxing in a hot tub
B) You’re in trouble
C) You’re cleaning the dishes
7. What is a “slip of the tongue”?
A) Saying something by accident
B) Slipping while walking
C) Talking in your sleep
8. To “keep a low profile” means what?
A) To be loud and attention-seeking
B) To stay quiet and avoid attention
C) To tell everyone your secrets
9. If you “cut your losses,” what are you doing?
A) Giving up on something that isn’t working
B) Cutting something into pieces
C) Making a profit
10. What does it mean to “face the music”?
A) To listen to a song
B) To accept the consequences of your actions
C) To sing a song at a concert
Answer Key
- A) To feel nervous or scared
- B) Lying about something that isn’t true
- B) To say something embarrassing by accident
- B) Ended a relationship or opportunity for good
- B) Talking about your personal problems in front of others
- B) You’re in trouble
- A) Saying something by accident
- B) To stay quiet and avoid attention
- A) Giving up on something that isn’t working
- B) To accept the consequences of your actions
Wrapping Up
Understanding idioms about shame helps you express feelings or awkward situations in a creative way. These idioms are useful when you want to talk about embarrassing moments or difficult times. They show how we can put our thoughts into simple, yet meaningful expressions.
Now that you know these idioms, try using them in your daily life. With practice, you’ll start to understand them better and even use them without thinking! Keep learning, and you’ll keep improving your understanding of idioms.
