paint oneself into a corner: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  Worldwidefigurativeneutral
  • To create a situation from which one has no clear or easy way to escape as a result of one's own actions or decisions.
  • To limit one's options or future actions by making a poor, inflexible, or ill-considered choice.

  Examples

  Beta

  • By agreeing to that contract without reading the fine print, he painted himself into a corner with no way out.

    Al aceptar ese contrato sin leer la letra pequeña, se pintó en una esquina sin salida.

  • I think she’s painted herself into a corner by promising two clients the same delivery date.

    Creo que ella se ha pintado en una esquina al prometer a dos clientes la misma fecha de entrega.

  • We will have painted ourselves into a corner if we don’t reconsider our strategy before the deadline.

    Nos habremos pintado en una esquina si no reconsideramos nuestra estrategia antes de la fecha límite.

  • They were painted into a corner by their previous decisions, leaving no room for flexibility.

    Estaban pintados en una esquina por sus decisiones anteriores, sin dejar espacio para la flexibilidad.