A Fish Out of Water 如魚失水
A Fish Out of Water 如魚失水
Hi. Please can you explain the saying 'a fish out of water'? Thanks.
Victor Tsui in Hong Kong
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Have you ever felt like a fish out of water? This is an idiom which is a saying that cannot be taken literally but it does make a comparison with a real life situation.
If a fish isn't in water it will feel uncomfortable and it will be in a situation it's not familiar with. So similarly if you feel like a fish out of water you will be in an uncomfortable or awkward situation.
A fish out of water – almost!
There are a few other fishing related phrases that also get used in English conversation. To drink like a fish, fishing for a compliment and sounding fishy are some examples. Rob and Fei Fei explain some of these in this week's Question and Answer of the Week.
If you have a question for our team, send it to us at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk and we might answer it on this programme.
