put in one's place
To criticize someone for impolite boldness; remind someone of low rank or position; reduce someone's unsuitable pride; deflate.
The assistant was trying to take command when the professor put him in his place by saying, "No, I'm the boss here."
She was a teacher who could put a troublemaker in his place with just a glance.
put in the way of
put in one's way
To set before (someone); give to (someone); show the way to; help toward.
After Joe graduated, the coach put him in the way of a good job.
The librarian put me in the way of a lot of new material on the subject of my report.
put one's foot in it
put one's foot in one's mouth
To speak carelessly and rudely; hurt another's feelings without intending to; make a rude mistake.
Сказать какую-либо грубость; говорить необдуманно; поранить чьи-либо чувства по неосторожности; сделать грубую ошибку.
He put his foot in it with his remark about self-made men because Jones was one of them.
She put her foot in her mouth with her joke about that church, not knowing that one of the guests belonged to it.
He was afraid lest he should put his foot in his mouth, so he decided to keep silent.
Он боялся того, как бы не попасть впростак, поэтому он решил молчать.
Fred really put his foot in his mouth when he called his supervisor by the wrong name.
I really put my foot in it when I forgot my girlfriend’s birthday and didn’t buy her anything. She almost lost her cool.
I put my foot in it when I asked Meg about the party. It turned out she hadn't been invited.
quaking in one's boots
Быть чем-то сильно напуганным; испугаться.
When he saw the crocodiles in the water, he started quaking in his boots.
Когда он увидел крокодилов в воде, то перепугался.
regain one's feet
To get back up again after falling down.
Tom fell while he skied down the hill but he regained his feet quickly.
set in one's ways
Stubborn; opinionated; unchangeable.
My grandfather is so old and set in his ways that he'll eat nothing new.
shake in one's shoes
shake in one's boots
To be very much afraid.
The robber shook in his boots when the police knocked on his door.
spin one's wheels
Said of cars stuck in snow or mud whose wheels are turning without the car moving forward.
There was so much snow on the driveway that my car's wheels were spinning in it and we couldn't get going.
To exert effort in a job without making any progress.
I've been working for the firm for two decades, but I feel I am merely spinning my wheels.