If you make a faux pas it means you say or do something embarrassing in a social situation. For example, our every day use of the thumbs-up signal might offend people from the Middle East.
make a faux pas是你在社交场合说了或做了尴尬的事。例如,我们日常使用的大朝上的手势,在东会冒犯别人。
It's the overall anxiety throughout the process and the fact that you can't even tell if your fellow passenger is smiling which is why I did give my flight attendants plenty of thumbs up.