Wet behind the ears

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Meaning

Inexperienced or naive, still green and untested.

Origin

From 19th-century America, tied to calves; wet behind ears at birth, slang by 1916 for novices. A 1931 'Saturday Evening Post' uses it for a raw recruit.

Variants

  • Behind the ears

Usage Examples

  • He's wet behind the ears; first job!
  • She's too wet behind the ears for this gig.
  • Wet behind the ears, he botched the pitch.

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