get off on the wrong foot
Bad first impression
To get off on the wrong foot is to begin a relationship or undertaking badly, creating an unfavorable first impression or early setback: We got off on the wrong foot when I accidentally called her by the wrong name.
The opposite is to get off on the right foot—starting well.
The image suggests stumbling at the outset of a journey.
- false startPremature beginning violation
- frustrationDispleasure from blocked efforts
- disagreementAbsence of shared opinion
- miscommunicationFailed exchange of meaning
- faux pasSocial misstep or indiscretion
second chance · embarrassment · adjustment · damage control · clear the air · regret · misunderstanding · tension · mistrust · misstep · awkwardness · anxiety · self-doubt · stumbling block · reconciliation · disappointment · apology · eat crow
quality of beginning
get off on the wrong footget off on the right foot
Begin successfully or favorably
getting, wrong, wrongly, wrongness, wrongful, wrongfully, footed