English idiom

wet behind the ears

Register · Informal CEFR C1

Post

Figurative meaning

young and inexperienced

Why this phrase?

A newborn animal is wet where it has just been licked clean; the phrase pictures the very beginning of life's experience.

Example

“He's still wet behind the ears — give him time.”

Dictionary details

Component words

ear

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

lend an ear

to listen to someone attentively and with sympathy

blind leading the blind

people with no experience guiding others who have no experience

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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