Ne t'enfonce pas plus !

The translation given is “Throw the shovel!” Is that correct?

@kadrian No it is not, or not AFAIK.

This French sentence is a metaphorical expression where you imagine that you are digging your own hole and you deepen it (making things worse) therefore the fuzzy translation with the shovel.

I would translate it more with “Don’t add fuel to the flames” or with something a bit more personal “Don’t rub salt to your own wounds”.

You usually hear this sentence when someone does or says something silly… and continues… until someone else says “Okay it’s time to stop, ne t’enfonce pas plus”

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Thank you. Similarly, you could say “Don’t dig your own grave.”

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In some cases maybe but this Fr sentence emphasizes more on the “worsening” part. The most direct translation in english would be “Don’t worsen your case” :upside_down_face:

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“Don’t dig yourself any deeper” would work, or “don’t dig your/the hole any deeper”.

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