Dead in the Water (Origin)

Our Story

Search...

What Is the Origin of the Saying "Dead in the Water"?

Dead in the water means to have no momentum or chance of progression. It is a nautical term, which originally referred to a motionless sail ship on windless day, which appeared to be dead in the water.

Previous and Next Sayings

Test Your Knowledge of English Proverbs and Idioms

Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.

More Proverbs, Sayings, and Idioms

Help Us To Improve Grammar Monster

  • Do you disagree with something on this page?
  • Did you spot a typo?
Please tell us using this form.

See Also

What are idioms? What is figurative language? A list of common grammar errors A list of easily confused words A list of sayings and proverbs