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Idiom 'in deep water'

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ESL Forums | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms

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#1 (permalink) Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:45 am Idiom 'in deep water'

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in deep water. Also, in over one's head. In trouble, with more difficulties than one can manage, as in The business was in deep water after the president resigned, or I'm afraid Bill got in over his head. These metaphoric expressions transfer the difficulties of being submerged to other problems. The first appears in Miles Coverdale's 1535 translation of the Book of Psalms (68:13): "I am come into deep waters." The second, which also can signify being involved with more than one can understand, dates from the 1600s. Also see over one's head.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Hi,

Could you help me with the underlined part? What do 'other problems' refer to, and how and why should the expressions transfer something? Thank you in advance.

haihao

Haihao
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#2 (permalink) Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:29 am Idiom 'in deep water'

Hi Haihao, This line refers to the creation of a metaphor. If, literally, you are in deep water and are in danger of drowning and you use this imagery/picture and liken it to a difficult/problematic situation, you are creating a simile. If you then remove the comparison element, you create a metaphor. In this way you are transferring a real image to another situation - being in deep water and unable to survive turns into a situation where you are facing difficulties in life. A _________________ English as a Second Language You can read my ESL story Present Simple

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Be 5/10/20 vs. Be 5/10/20 years old | My brother and I each... vs. My brother and I all...

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