shooting oneself in the foot
Harming your own cause
Shooting oneself in the foot is to sabotage one's own efforts through carelessness or poor judgment.
The image is of accidentally discharging a weapon and hitting your own foot—a self-inflicted wound born of incompetence.
The senator shot himself in the foot by releasing those emails.
The phrase emphasizes that the damage was preventable and the victim is also the perpetrator.
- impulsivenessActing without forethought
- overconfidenceUnjustified certainty in oneself
- mistakeWrong action or decision
- recklessnessCareless disregard for danger
- playing with fireEngaging in reckless behavior
blunder · hoist with one's own petard · stubbornness · burning bridges · error · failure · falling on one's sword · carelessness · miscalculation · putting one's foot in one's mouth · shortsightedness · cutting off one's nose to spite one's face · slip-up · oversight · backfire · regret · self-doubt · faux pas
shooting oneself in the footplaying one's cards right
Managing circumstances advantageously
looking out for number one · self-serving · winning move · playing it smart · enlightened self-interest
shooting oneself in the footthinking ahead
Mental preparation for future
knowing which side one's bread is buttered on · due diligence · looking before one leaps · hedging one's bets · erring on the side of caution
shooting oneself in the foothitting the mark
Achieving intended result
striking gold · nailing it · playing it smart · strategic brilliance · winning strategy
shooter, shoots, oneself, himself, herself, yourself, themselves, ourselves, footing