dig one's own grave

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

dig one's own grave (third-person singular simple present digs one's own grave, present participle digging one's own grave, simple past and past participle dug one's own grave)

1. (idiomatic) To behave in a way that is likely to have future negative effects on oneself, including (but not limited to) death.

   Synonyms: cut off one's nose to spite one's face, dig oneself in a hole, shoot oneself in the foot, sign one's death warrant

Translations

to act in a way expected to backfire

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 自掘墳墓／自掘坟墓 (zh) (zìjuéfénmù)

• Danish: grave sin egen grav
• Finnish: kaivaa omaa hautaansa
• French: creuser sa tombe (fr), creuser sa propre tombe
• Icelandic: grafa sér gröf
• Japanese: 墓穴を掘る (ja) (ぼけつをほる, boketsu o horu)
• Polish: wykopywać sobie/swój własny grób impf, wykopać sobie/swój własny grób pf
• Portuguese: cavar a própria cova
• Spanish: cavar su propia tumba
• Swedish: gräva sin egen grav

See also

• make one's bed and lie in it
• take it out on