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Glite Dictionary
beached whale

beached whale

1 8.5
A very tired person who lies down and feels awkward or helpless
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : ballena varada

Examples

  • Considering her size, she was like a beached whale. " " Any suggestion of a heart attack? "

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Copters hovered around Queen Jolly Freeze like gulls around a beached whale.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • After working long hours, she collapsed on the sofa, feeling like a beached whale.

  • He sat on the beach, feeling utterly drained and helpless, just like a beached whale.

  • Exhausted from the long hike, I lay on the grass, feeling like a beached whale.

Synonyms

loose fish
vsbeached whale
  • Informal
9.9

A person who feels out of place in a group

is similar but involves strong exhaustion and helplessness rather than nonconformity

Surface Forms

beached whale singular
beached whales plural

Morphology

beach + whale

The phrase evokes the literal image of a whale stranded onshore, so a learner who knows 'beach' (to come ashore/become grounded) and 'whale' (large creature/person) can infer helplessness, exhaustion, or being out of place from the constituents. However, this is a metaphorical extension rather than a fully compositional meaning, and the precise social/emotional nuance may not be completely predictable for a B1 learner without exposure.

Etymology

Beached whale comes from the image of a large whale beached and stuck on the sand, unable to move. So, the sight of a huge, helpless animal led to the phrase meaning someone who feels 'out of place', 'exhausted', or 'helpless'.