Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

paint oneself into a corner

/ˈpeɪnt wʌnˈsɛlf ˈɪntu ə ˈkɔɹnɚ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.48 in modern English

Syllables: paint one-self into a cor-ner
IPA: /ˈpeɪnt wʌnˈsɛlf ˈɪntu ə ˈkɔɹnɚ/

30

Scrabble Score

23

Letters

3

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.

Example Sentences

"The Coens [Coen brothers] write their screenplays in a manner as unorthodox as the films that result from them. […] They paint themselves into a corner, plotwise, then perform whatever literary gymnastics are necessary in order to paint themselves out."
"[Giuliana] Tedeschi thus rejects the mythicization of the Holocaust, in her book and in others'. By claiming a separate, privileged space for documentary writing and survivor nonfiction, she in effect paints herself into a corner, forced thereafter to deny the presence—even the abundance—of literary tropes and writerly devices in her own work."
"In his diary entry from 8 January 1914, Franz Kafka writes: "What have I in common with Jews? I have hardly anything in common with myself and should stand very quietly in a corner, content that I can breathe" […] [T]his corner could also, tragically, describe the place where Kafka feels he should position himself, painting himself into a corner, into a dead end, where nothing but bare life stripped of all existential substance and support can subsist."
"Executives and businesses are often painted into a corner. They unwittingly lock themselves and their companies into a rigid bureaucratic way of dealing with rules, regulations, and compliance matters."

Etymology

From the idea that a person painting the floor of a room may inadvertently apply the paint over the whole floor and trap themselves in a corner away from any exit, so that to leave the room the person has no choice but to step on the fresh paint and ruin it.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpeɪnt wʌnˈsɛlf ˈɪntu ə ˈkɔɹnɚ/
British English: /ˈpeɪnt wʌnˈsɛlf ˈɪntʊ ə ˈkɔːnə(ɹ)/

Inflected Forms

paints oneself into a corner (present, singular) painting oneself into a corner (participle, present) painted oneself into a corner (participle, past) painted oneself into a corner (past)

Synonyms

back oneself into a corner box oneself into a corner get oneself into a corner talk oneself into a corner write oneself into a corner

Questions

How do you pronounce paint oneself into a corner?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpeɪnt wʌnˈsɛlf ˈɪntu ə ˈkɔɹnɚ/.
What does paint oneself into a corner mean?: To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
Where does paint oneself into a corner come from?: From the idea that a person painting the floor of a room may inadvertently apply the paint over the whole floor and trap themselves in a corner away from any exit, so that to leave the room the person has no choice but to step on the fresh paint and ruin it.

How to pronounce paint oneself into a corner

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