A ship full of dysfunctional fools all vying for the title of captain but none of them are suitable for the job and none can admit they are equally as bad/ill-suited for the job.
Etymology:
- In 1494, just after the voyage of Columbus, Sebastian Brant wrote a satirical poem called The Ship of Fools, about people being transported from their native land to the "Land of Fools". Shortly afterwards in 1500 Hieronymus Bosch painted a picture of the same name (it's in the Louvre). Since then, there has also been a novel, a movie and a song with similar titles and themes.
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In a bar everyone is so drunk that no one--even the bartender--can take the money or make change. It could be said that they are all just a ship of fools.
Submitted by TriplePurple on February 23, 2024
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"ship of fools." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/ship-of-fools_64168>.
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