trip up

detect a blunder or misstep

• “The reporter tripped up the senator”

cause to stumble

• “The questions on the test tripped him up”

make an error

• “She slipped up and revealed the name”

an unintentional but embarrassing blunder

• “he recited the whole poem without a single trip”
• “he arranged his robes to avoid a trip-up later”
• “confusion caused his unfortunate misstep”