“Putting in the leg” is used for when someone makes a mistake, or "screws up"
One day, taking my son to kindergarden, I ran into an ex-minister of the environment with whom I had made some PowerPoint presentations. We are 10 years apart at least. He was walking with a boy who was around the same age as my son and it occurred to me to ask him if he was his grandson. He answered proudly: "No, he is my son ..." I wanted the Earth to open up and swallow me up. I call this putting the leg in, deeply!
Un día, llevando a mi hijo al kinder, me encontré con un ex-ministro del ambiente con quien había hecho unas presentaciones en PowerPoint. Tenemos 10 años de diferencia por lo menos. Él venía con un niño de la misma edad que mi hijo y se me ocurrió preguntarle si era su nieto. Él me respondió orgulloso: “No, es mi hijo…” Quise que la Tierra se abriese y me tragara. A esto le llamo meter la pata ¡y profundamente!
Story submitted by Paco Chovet
