Idiom
Wet behind the ears
Someone wet behind the ears is young, new or inexperienced, and may not yet understand how things really work.
How people use it
People use it about beginners in a job, sport or field (he was still wet behind the ears when he started reporting). It is informal and can sound a little condescending, so it is more often said about other people, or about your younger self, than to someone's face. It usually follows be or still be. The idea is lack of experience, not lack of intelligence.
Examples
- When Omar started at the bank, he was so wet behind the ears that he asked what an invoice was.
- The new referee looked a bit wet behind the ears, but she handled the game well.
- I was still wet behind the ears on my first camping trip and packed no rain jacket.
Where it comes from
The phrase probably comes from farm animals. A newborn calf or foal is born wet, and the small hollow behind its ears is one of the last spots to dry. An animal still wet there is brand new to the world. The phrase was in use in American English by the early 1900s, and similar expressions exist in German and Dutch.
Check yourself
1. What does it mean to call a new employee wet behind the ears?
Answer: He is inexperienced. Wet behind the ears means new and inexperienced, like a newborn animal that has not dried off yet.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: The intern was wet behind the ears but learned the system quickly.. A new intern fits. A forty-year veteran is the opposite, and the towel sentence is literal.
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