youthful indiscretion
Young person's folly
A youthful indiscretion is a foolish or embarrassing act committed when young—typically something mildly scandalous that surfaces later in life.
The phrase often appears when public figures must explain away past behavior: The senator dismissed the college photos as a youthful indiscretion.
The term implies the person has matured beyond such lapses.
- flingForceful toss, or tryst
- spring breakAcademic recess in March
- partyingSocial revelry in progress
- mischiefPlayful troublesome behavior
- adolescenceTeenage developmental stage
sowing wild oats · rite of passage · mistake · foolishness · impulsiveness · experimentation · growing pains · recklessness · regret · wild oats · embarrassment · naivety · escapade · redemption · learning curve · learning experience · rashness · prank
- youth sayingssalad days, spring chicken, tender age, young at heart, forever young
- adolescencepuberty, teenager, coming-of-age, growing up, teen
youthful indiscretionself-restraint
Voluntary impulse control
impulse control · circumspection · due diligence · risk aversion
youth, youthful, youthfully, youthfulness, youths, younger, youngster, youngish, indiscretion