Idioms about Making Mistakes
Idioms about Making Mistakes
Hello English learners! Welcome to a new lesson from My Lingua Academy. We all make mistakes — sometimes small ones, sometimes real blunders! But English has a wonderful way of talking about errors, accidents, and wrong turns through colourful idioms. In this lesson, you’ll learn 20 idioms related to mistakes, their meanings, and example sentences so you can talk about your “oops” moments like a native speaker.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Slip up | Make a small mistake | I slipped up on one question in the test. |
| Drop the ball | Fail to do something important | The manager dropped the ball by forgetting the client meeting. |
| Mess up | Do something badly or incorrectly | I really messed up my presentation today. |
| Screw up | (Informal) Make a big mistake | Don’t screw up this opportunity—it’s important! |
| Put your foot in it | Say something embarrassing or tactless | I really put my foot in it when I mentioned her ex-husband. |
| Goof up | (American informal) Make a silly mistake | I goofed up the dates on the invitation. |
| Make a blunder | Make a careless or stupid mistake | Sending that email to everyone was a big blunder. |
| Get it wrong | Be mistaken | Don’t worry, everyone gets it wrong sometimes. |
| Bark up the wrong tree | Accuse or blame the wrong person | If you think I did it, you’re barking up the wrong tree. |
| A slip of the tongue | A small mistake in speaking | I said “dessert” instead of “desert”—a simple slip of the tongue! |
Idioms about Making Mistakes
Idioms about admitting or correcting mistakes
| Idiom | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Eat humble pie | Admit you were wrong | After the argument, I had to eat humble pie and apologise. |
| Own up (to something) | Admit a mistake | She owned up to breaking the vase. |
| Backtrack | Change your opinion or take back something you said | The politician had to backtrack after his mistake. |
| Learn the hard way | Discover something through making mistakes | I learned the hard way not to ignore deadlines. |
| Let something slip | Accidentally reveal a secret | He let it slip that there’s going to be a surprise party. |
Idioms about Making Mistakes
Idioms about forgetting or misunderstanding
| Idiom | Meaning | Example sentence |
| Get the wrong end of the stick | Misunderstand a situation | You got the wrong end of the stick—I wasn’t talking about you! |
| Lose the plot | Become confused or irrational | He’s been so stressed that he’s losing the plot. |
| Make a hash of it | (British) Do something very badly | I made a hash of the dinner party—I burned the main course! |
| Not have a clue | Have no idea | I didn’t have a clue what the question meant. |
| Off the mark | Incorrect or inaccurate | Your answer was a bit off the mark. |
Remember, mistakes are how we learn! Next time you make one, don’t worry — just describe it with one of these idioms and sound like a fluent English speaker.
Which of these idioms have you used before? Let me know in the comments!
If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!
Discover more from My Lingua Academy
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
0 Comments