signing one's own death warrant
Guaranteeing one's destruction
To sign one's own death warrant is to take an action that ensures one's own ruin or destruction.
The phrase borrows from the literal document authorizing an execution, applied to any self-destructive choice: When he insulted the boss in front of the board, he signed his own death warrant.
The doom may be professional, social, or occasionally physical.
- shooting oneself in the footUnintentionally causing own failure
- cutting off one's nose to spite one's faceHarming yourself to harm another
- falling on one's swordResigning to accept blame
- point of no returnThreshold beyond which reversal impossible
- playing with fireEngaging in reckless behavior
digging one's own grave · nail in the coffin · courting disaster · tempting fate · asking for trouble · writing on the wall · self-fulfilling prophecy
signing one's own death warrantself-preservation
Instinct to survive danger
looking out for number one · self-protection · playing it safe · hedging one's bets · erring on the side of caution
signing one's own death warrantplaying one's cards right
Managing circumstances advantageously
keeping one's head down · biding one's time · knowing which side one's bread is buttered on
signing one's own death warrantdodging a bullet
Narrowly avoiding harm
signed, signer, signers, signal, signals, signaling, signatory, signatories, signature