wet behind the ears en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
First use appears c. 1850 in Pennsylvania, a calque of German feucht hinter den Ohren. From the drying of amniotic fluid of a baby after birth, specifically a newborn farm animal, whose ears are the last to dry, partly because it is licked dry by its mother everywhere else. Alternative forms also derive from German.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) Inexperienced; just beginning; immature (especially in judgment).
Every week day, pool rooms are filled with scores of boys still "wet behind the ears" who have no business anywhere but in the classroom.
1950 January 13, Roger Appleton, “Police to End Teen-Age Gambling: Strike at Pool Hall Hangouts”, in Ottawa Citizen, Canada, retrieved 05 Oct 2010, page 18:[They would put] their hands behind their ears and pat the top of their heads to taunt me with the fact that I was still wet behind the ears and soft on top of the head.
1903 August 2, “The Boy Whose Parents Wanted Him to Be Useful”, in Chicago Tribune, retrieved 05 Oct 2010, page B2:"These young whippersnappers are still wet behind the ears."
2004 September 8, Jarrett Bell, “Bengals' Kitna 'classy' about losing job to Palmer”, in USA Today, retrieved 05 Oct 2010:Now, here was the freshly minted FDA commissioner, still wet behind the ears at 39.
1991 July 15, Dick Thompson, “The Man with the Plan”, in Time:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wet-behind-the-ears | alternative | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Synonyms
Translations (31)
cmn 少不更事的 (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de nicht trocken hinter den Ohren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · ja 尻が青い (inexperienced, not seasoned) · is óharðnaður (inexperienced, not seasoned) · vi chân ướt chân ráo (inexperienced, not seasoned) · fi kokematon (inexperienced, not seasoned) · nv chąąmąʼii ádílʼį́ (inexperienced, not seasoned) · hu tapasztalatlan (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de noch grün hinter den Ohren sein (inexperienced, not seasoned) · bg с жълто около устата (inexperienced, not seasoned) · hu kezdő (inexperienced, not seasoned) · it essere un novellino (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de grün hinter den Ohren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de feucht hinter den Ohren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · lv vēl slapjš aiz ausīm (inexperienced, not seasoned) · it di primo pelo (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de noch nicht trocken hinter den Ohren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · fi märkäkorva (inexperienced, not seasoned) · it alle prime armi (inexperienced, not seasoned) · cmn 乳臭未乾 /乳臭未干 (inexperienced, not seasoned) · pl mieć mleko pod nosem (inexperienced, not seasoned) · no våt bak ørene (inexperienced, not seasoned) · hu zöldfülű (inexperienced, not seasoned) · id ingusan (inexperienced, not seasoned) · hu tejfölösszájú (inexperienced, not seasoned) · ru молоко́ на губа́х не обсо́хло (inexperienced, not seasoned) · nl nat achter de oren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · is óreyndur (inexperienced, not seasoned) · it muovere i primi passi (inexperienced, not seasoned) · de noch feucht hinter den Ohren (inexperienced, not seasoned) · yue 乳臭未乾 /乳臭未干 (inexperienced, not seasoned)