Malicious compliance: The act of adhering to the letter, but not the spirit, of a request to cause harm or ruin.
Acting in bad faith: Intending to deceive, mislead, or cause harm to someone, or having no intention of fulfilling a promise.
Social undermining: A term for a pattern of behavior in which someone's competence is systematically devalued.
A double bind: A situation in which a person is given contradictory messages, so that any response will be a failure.
Leading someone "down the garden path": If actions are not merely passive but actively—though subtly—deceptive, this is leading someone down the garden path. This means misleading someone to a bad outcome by giving them false information or direction.
"Sent them on a fool's errand." This implies the person's task was pointless or impossible from the outset, though it doesn't necessarily suggest malice.
"They were given a rope to hang themselves." This harsh idiom means to give someone the means to cause their own downfall, implying the opportunity was a trap.
"Set them up to take the fall." This suggests a malicious intent, where the person giving the opportunity intends to blame the other person for its failure.
"Gave them a chance and watched them fail." This is a direct and somewhat blunt way of putting it, which can sound critical or even gloating.
"They were put in a no-win situation." This phrase is common in workplace settings and describes a scenario where success is impossible, regardless of how well the person performs.
"They were handed an unwinnable task." This emphasizes the insurmountable nature of the challenge.
"Given low expectations, they lived down to them." This refers to the "set-up-to-fail syndrome," where a manager's low expectations lead to an employee's poor performance.
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