Idiom
Fish out of water
A fish out of water is someone who feels awkward or uncomfortable because they are in a new or unfamiliar place or situation.
How people use it
The usual patterns are feel like a fish out of water and be a fish out of water: On my first day at the law firm, I felt like a fish out of water. It is used for new jobs, schools, countries, social events and hobbies. It is informal to neutral and usually sympathetic. Movies and books about a character dropped into an unfamiliar world are often called fish-out-of-water stories. It describes the discomfort of being out of place, not a lack of skill.
Also said: like a fish out of water.
Examples
- Raised in a big city, Sam felt like a fish out of water on his uncle's farm.
- At her first ballet class, Grace was a fish out of water, but she loved it by week three.
- I'm a fish out of water at fancy dinners with five different forks.
Where it comes from
The comparison is very old and easy to picture: a fish pulled from the water flops around helplessly. Geoffrey Chaucer used it in The Canterbury Tales in the late 1300s, comparing a monk outside his monastery to a fish without water. The image has been part of English ever since.
Check yourself
1. If a new student says he feels like a fish out of water, how does he feel?
Answer: Uncomfortable and out of place. A fish out of water feels awkward in an unfamiliar situation.
2. Which writer used this comparison in the 1300s?
Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer compared a monk away from his monastery to a fish without water.
Similar idioms
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