Going beyond proper or acceptable limits; exceeding your authority or intruding where you shouldn't.
From 'over' (beyond) plus 'stepping' (stepping foot). The phrase literally means stepping too far, and evolved to describe boundary violations in behavior or authority by the 1700s.
Your foot naturally knows where to step, but socially we keep 'overstepping' because society's boundaries are invisible until someone reacts—makes you wonder how different cultures draw these lines.
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