Putting your foot in it

diebitter · #1 10-10-2007, 07:16 AM

I'd like to hear some good 'putting your foot in it' stories.

I do this all the time, so will probably add to this thread twice-weekly, but for now, here's one recent one, and an oldie I love.

Recently, one of my sons joined the cub scouts, and got his shirt and some badges. Last night my wife was pinning it up ready to sew the new badges on, and she said to him 'you could learn to sew them on, then you'll earn your needlework badge', to which I said, 'Nah, you don't wanna do that, needlework is for...'

The word 'girls' turned to ashes in my brain as I got a withering look from my wife.

I searched desperately for a good, plausible alternative, and coughed up '...those that are good at fiddly stuff. There's other badges you need to get first'.

The pause was too long - the freeze already set in for the night. Oh well.

Favourite 'put your foot in it story':

Guy I worked with had to go to a board meeting, and the CEO was a big woman. I mean BIG.

Anyway, he was talking to the board - about 14 people - and he was talking about not giving up on a lost opportunity, and ended by saying, 'well, it's not over until...'

He stopped. Everyone knew what he was gonna say. They all looked up and stared at him, at one end of the table. Then they all turned in unison to look at her face, at the other end of the table. They back to him. Like watching a tennis match.

He had to finish, so he bleated out '...the fat lady sings.'

What else could he do?

I laughed like drains when he told me afterwards.

Any good stories like that?

katyseagull · #2 10-10-2007, 07:49 AM

[ QUOTE ]

Guy I worked with had to go to a board meeting, and the CEO was a big woman. I mean BIG.

Anyway, he was talking to the board - about 14 people - and he was talking about not giving up on a lost opportunity, and ended by saying, 'well, it's not over until...'

He stopped. Everyone knew what he was gonna say. They all looked up and stared at him, at one end of the table. Then they all turned in unison to look at her face, at the other end of the table. They back to him. Like watching a tennis match.

He had to finish, so he bleated out '...the fat lady sings.'

[/ QUOTE ]

Lol. This sounds like something David Brent would do. Can't you picture it?

I don't know if I can add much to your thread DB. I hate when I embarrass myself and try to blank it from my memory immediately . I'll see if I can recall any horribly embarrassing moments for the sake of the forums. (keep in mind it's not as easy for some of us to come up with these things as it is for you. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

diebitter · #3 10-10-2007, 08:13 AM

haha it was very Brent-like, but was years before that ever came about.

Come on, people do stupid things all the time. You've never mistaken a woman for a man? Or asked a woman when it's due and she's not pregnant?

It happens to me all the time.

The other day I pulled into a parking space at a shopping park, got out of the car, and some guy calls me over. I just assumed he was trying to say it was his space as he was sorta stationary and looking like he was gonna try and pull in there too, but I'd been waiting 5 minutes to get in there, and was peeved, so I marched over and started haranguing him.

Turns out he wanted to ask me where about the pizza hut was.

katyseagull · #4 10-10-2007, 08:48 AM

Alright here's one for you. It's something my boyfriend did a couple years ago. He had this habit of calling me during his slow days at work when he was bored and trying to trick me by disguising his voice. (yes I know, very mature, what can I say.)

So one time he calls me and I didn't recognize him because he sounded like an old man from the south, with this deep gravelly voice, like an old timer who had smoked a million cigarettes over a lifetime. When I realized what he was doing I had to laugh because he did sound a lot like this guy he worked with, Mac. Overall it seemed like a silly exercise but I guess he was bored.

Later that evening he confided to me that while he was sitting with his feet on the desk doing his best Mac imitation into the phone he was unaware that Mac had actually walked into the shop and overheard him talking to me. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] He said it was pretty embarrassing and he didn't want to face Mac again.

tarheeljks · #5 10-10-2007, 08:53 AM

freshman year of college, early in the semester

i was asleep in my room one evening when i was woken up by the voice of a girl laughing. i was pretty hungry, so i stumbled to the dining hall still half asleep. my friend asked me if i had just woken up and i responded "yeah. i'd still be asleep but some girl was squealing like a banshee in our common room." he gives me a "nice going, dumb ass" look and then the girl across from him says something (don't remember exactly what) and i immediately recognize her voice as the one that woke me up.

edit: i apologized 3 or 4 times and then walked away w/my tail b/t my legs. somehow we still became friends.

katyseagull · #6 10-10-2007, 08:56 AM

Lol! Awkward. That's a good one Tarheel.

tarheeljks · #7 10-10-2007, 08:59 AM

hah yeah. needless to say i was VERY nice to her throughout college. she turned out to be such a sweetheart, which made it even worse.

Blarg · #8 10-11-2007, 01:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
freshman year of college, early in the semester

i was asleep in my room one evening when i was woken up by the voice of a girl laughing. i was pretty hungry, so i stumbled to the dining hall still half asleep. my friend asked me if i had just woken up and i responded "yeah. i'd still be asleep but some girl was squealing like a banshee in our common room." he gives me a "nice going, dumb ass" look and then the girl across from him says something (don't remember exactly what) and i immediately recognize her voice as the one that woke me up.

edit: i apologized 3 or 4 times and then walked away w/my tail b/t my legs. somehow we still became friends.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awkward, but you didn't have much if anything to apologize for. It sounds more like she was the one caught out.

tarheeljks · #9 10-11-2007, 02:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
freshman year of college, early in the semester

i was asleep in my room one evening when i was woken up by the voice of a girl laughing. i was pretty hungry, so i stumbled to the dining hall still half asleep. my friend asked me if i had just woken up and i responded "yeah. i'd still be asleep but some girl was squealing like a banshee in our common room." he gives me a "nice going, dumb ass" look and then the girl across from him says something (don't remember exactly what) and i immediately recognize her voice as the one that woke me up.

edit: i apologized 3 or 4 times and then walked away w/my tail b/t my legs. somehow we still became friends.

[/ QUOTE ]

Awkward, but you didn't have much if anything to apologize for. It sounds more like she was the one caught out.

[/ QUOTE ]

interesting. i insulted someone to their face, albeit unknowingly, so i apologized w/o even thinking about it. the fact that i called her out in front of a group of people, some of whom she didn't know, makes it even more appropriate.

KotOD · #10 10-10-2007, 09:48 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Recently, one of my sons joined the cub scouts, and got his shirt and some badges. Last night my wife was pinning it up ready to sew the new badges on, and she said to him 'you could learn to sew them on, then you'll earn your needlework badge', to which I said, 'Nah, you don't wanna do that, needlework is for...'

The word 'girls' turned to ashes in my brain as I got a withering look from my wife.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure why this is putting your foot in it. Needlework...is for women.