Englishlike a fish out of water
Meaning: uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element.
Example: “At the fancy gala in his hiking boots, he felt like a fish out of water.”
Origin: Considerably older than it sounds, with a documented literary trail. Chaucer used the comparison in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales around 1387, describing a monk with no wish to be confined to his cloister and likening him to a fish out of water — the point being that each creature belongs to a particular element and is helpless outside it. The image is older still in monastic writing, which used it to argue that a monk away from his cell was as badly placed as a fish on dry land. Its staying power comes from how immediate the observation is: a fish removed from water does not merely look uncomfortable, it visibly cannot function, which is exactly the force the idiom still carries.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Être dans ses petits souliers Literally: To be in one's little shoes
More English idioms
- come hell or high water no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination.
- run rings around someone to easily surpass someone; to be far superior in ability.
- a storm in a teacup excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot.
- get the ball rolling to start something; to initiate a process.
- as tough as old boots very strong; enduring; difficult to break.
- head honcho the person in charge; the leader.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
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