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fish out of water

A person in unfamiliar, and often uncomfortable, surroundings.

Etymology:

  • Earliest recorded use: "Fishes out of the Water". Earliest use of metaphor by Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales: Prologue as "fissh that is waterlees".
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[I]nto this queer assembly, something of a fish out of water and wholly out of his element, strode Cherry Bim, that redoubtable man.

Submitted on July 10, 2018

Additional definitions for 'fish out of water':

Fish Out of WaterTo feel uncomfortable and out of place while adjusting in a place or situation
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the fish out of water phrase in other languages:

pez fuera del agua

Un poisson hors de l'eau

рыба из воды

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    "fish out of water." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/fish-out-of-water_25625>.

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