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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.

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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
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Translation

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pez fuera del agua

Un poisson hors de l'eau

рыба из воды

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to fish out of water

fink outflame outfilter outfish for complimentsflatten outFish or Cut Baitfish in troubled watersfish glassflat outfish outflame outfind outfish or cut baitfish to fry

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    "fish out of water." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/fish-out-of-water_25625>.

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