box oneself into a corner
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
box oneself into a corner
- (idiomatic) To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives. or solutions.
- 2012 May 15, Scott Tobias, “Film: Reviews: The Dictator”, in The Onion AV Club:
- Brüno was a case of diminishing returns, intermittently amusing but not nearly as bracing or funny as Borat—it didn’t help that Brüno was the most thinly conceived of all his Da Ali G Show characters—and the lead-up to Baron Cohen’s new comedy, The Dictator, made it look like he’d boxed himself into a corner.
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Synonyms
- back oneself into a corner
- paint oneself into a corner
- write oneself into a corner