Dictionary

rake-stepping en · NOUN

Etymology

Popularized by a gag in the 1993 episode "Cape Feare" of The Simpsons, in which Sideshow Bob, already injured, accidentally steps on several rakes, causing the handles to hit him in the face.

Meanings

1. (countable, slang, uncountable) The act of repeatedly making damaging and avoidable mistakes.
   • But the rake-stepping won’t stop, and the attacks won’t go away, raising the question of whether there will come a tipping point for Biden. 2019 August 13, Tina Nguyen, “Biden Advisers Worry the Gaffes Are Becoming a Problem”, in Vanity Fair:
   • And despite occasional attempts at reform, usually in response to some epic rake-stepping by the agency, federal disaster relief has gotten no simpler or more effective. 2023 September 12, Mark Gongloff, FEMA Isn’t Ready for Our New Age of Climate Disasters, Bloomberg:
   • VP of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf oozes with, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing …” and has deftly escaped any blame for the personnel rake-stepping of the past few seasons. 2024 June 19, Tom E. Curran, “Five burning questions the Patriots need to answer this summer”, in NBC Sports Boston:

Forms

Relateds

step on a rake · Leopards Eating People's Faces Party · reap what one sows · fuck around and find out · play stupid games, win stupid prizes · make one's bed and lie in it

wikipedia: Cape Feare · wikipedia: Sideshow Bob · wikipedia: The Simpsons