fresh off the boat

English

Adjective

fresh off the boat

  1. (idiomatic, usually derogatory) Newly arrived from a foreign place, especially as an immigrant who is still unfamiliar with the customs and language of his or her new environment.
    Synonym: FOB (abbreviation)
    • 1998, Ani DiFranco (lyrics), “Two Little Girls”, in Little Plastic Castle, performed by Ani DiFranco:
      You were fresh off the boat from Virginia / I had a year in New York City under my belt / We met in a dream, we were both nineteen
    • 2005, Lev Grossman, "They Built This City (book review)," Time, 20 Mar.:
      Metropolis is the story of a harmless, hapless, nameless young German immigrant, fresh off the boat in 1860-something, who has a knack for naively stumbling into complicated plots through no fault of his own.

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.