A fish out of water

What's the meaning of the phrase 'A fish out of water'?

Someone who is in a situation they are unsuited to.

What's the origin of the phrase 'A fish out of water'?

This metaphor is quite old. Chaucer used a version of it in The Canterbury Tales: Prologue:

…a monk, when he is cloisterless;
Is like to a fish that is waterless

The earliest reference that I can find to the present day wording of the phrase is in Samuel Purchas’s Pilgrimage, 1613:

“The Arabians out of the desarts are as Fishes out of the Water.”

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

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