out of one's depth

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

out of one's depth

1. (literally) In water so deep that one cannot stand and may be at risk of drowning.
2. (figuratively, idiomatic) In a situation which one is poorly prepared or unprepared to handle.

   Synonyms: in over one's head, out of one's league

   The team's first game was against the league champions; they were out of their depth and knew it.

   • 2011 October 18, Batman: Arkham City, spoken by Batman (Kevin Conroy), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, via Rocksteady Studios:

     She doesn’t know Joker, she’s out of her depth. I need to save her.

   • 2024 April 3, Howard Johnston, “Network News: Weak bosses and staff blamed for Crossrail overspend”, in RAIL, number 1006, page 20:

     Weak management and a small team of civil servants who were out of their depth have been roundly blamed for the £4 billion overspend on London's Elizabeth line (Crossrail) and its opening four years late in May 2022.

Translations

in water so deep that one cannot stand and may be at risk of drowning

• Catalan: no tocar de peus
• Finnish: liian syvissä vesissä
• French: n’avoir pas pied (fr)

in a situation which one is poorly prepared or unprepared to handle

• Hungarian: kicsúszik a lába alól a talaj, elveszti a talajt a lába alól, nem tud megbirkózni vele, meghaladja a képességeit
• Swedish: ute på djupt vatten