Talk oneself into a corner

2020-12-11 中國日報網英語點津

Reader's question:

Ever talk to yourself and end up talking yourself into a corner.

Could you explain 「talk oneself into a corner」？

This expression can best be understood if we break it up into two parts. First to be in a corner usually is not a good thing.

Think of boxing. If one fighter is trapped in the corner it means he/she has little chance to escape and will continue to be hit. E.g. Brendan was on the ropes in the corner getting bashed by his wife – oww!

Or imagine if in the thick forests of Canada a big brown bear traps you in a corner –and starts licking his lips - that’s not a good thing.

Likewise if you talk yourself into a corner it means you have been conversing about something but have gone so far that you have contradicted yourself.

E.g. During the live debate for the presidential election the candidate talked herself into a corner. First she criticized the present governor for his international diplomacy. Then during question and answer time she let it be known that she didn’t even have a passport and thought New Guinea was a suburb in New York.

Alternatively, you may forever be saying how the government should spend more money on education or health but when it comes time for you to pay more tax you talk yourself into a corner by claiming too much government is a bad thing.

Perhaps that’s one of the interesting things about circles, Buddhism and a Ying Yang style philosophy - there are no real corners.

Related stories:

Scare the daylights out of

Be on the cards

Rule of thumb

Red tape

Take the high road

A feeling for a "soft touch"

Duck-and-cover

Toxic assets 有毒資產

Pet project

 

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

以上討論問題來自翻吧（translate.chinadaily.com.cn）

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