Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sabrinak]

Hello,

Will you help me?

"Don't worry. You can't get put on the same spot twice."


What does the sentence mean and in what situation would you say this?

Thank you all the time.

[Suzanne]

Hello!

"To be put on the spot" is an idiom. It means to cause someone to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, or in a difficult situation. Sometimes you will also see "put in a spot," which means the same thing.

Examples:
*A teacher doesn't like to be put on the spot in front of her students.
*The politician was put on the spot when the reporter asked him about his campaign funding.
*The soccer team was put on the spot when their best player was injured in the last few minutes of the match.
*He asked her out for a date, which put her in a spot, because she didn't want to go.

In the sentence you are asking about, the speaker is trying to reassure someone that he or she isn't likely to be put in a difficult situation for a second time.

Does that make sense? Idioms can be tricky to understand, because the words can't be interpreted by themselves--it's the total phrase which is used.

[sabrinak]

It really helped me to understand the expression.
I was so impressed by your explanation. Now I'm crystall clear.