English Idiom – Swim with sharks.
Meaning – To operate among dangerous or risky people. The idiom swimming with sharks is used to describe a situation where someone is in a dangerous or risky environment, usually involving a lot of competition or potential for harm.
The literal meaning of this expression is – of course – to be swimming in the water with sharks.
A loan shark (idiom) is someone who lends people money and charges them an extremely high rate of interest.
Related ‘Dangerous’ Expressions:
- Canary in a coalmine (idiom) – Someone or something that is an early warning of danger,
- Caught with your pants down (idiom) – To be caught doing something risky or embarrassing.
- Let sleeping dogs lie (idiom) – To avoid talking about something that might cause trouble.
- On thin ice (idiom) – To be in a dangerous or risky situation.
- Play with fire (idiom) – To take a risk or do something dangerous.
More Shark Idioms
- Loan shark – someone who lends money at very high interest, often illegally.
- Card shark (or card sharp in British English) – a very skilled card player, often one who cheats to win money.
- Jump the shark – when a TV show (or anything popular) gets worse by trying something silly to stay exciting. It comes from a 1977 episode of the American TV show Happy Days, when a character jumped over a shark on water skis.
- Shark-infested waters – a situation full of dangerous or ruthless people.
Usage:
When could you use this idiom?
- You are thinking of entering politics in an area with corrupt and immoral politicians.
- An amateur poker player is competing against professional players for high stakes.
- Someone is taking part in online dating for the first time!
Example:
- “She’s not sure she’s ready to start swimming with sharks in the real estate market.”
In the News
Spotted in the newsDare to swim with the sharks: Shark Tank opens online castingyourerie.comWhat is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
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Frequently Asked Questions
To be involved with dangerous, ruthless or dishonest people.
Often about business, where competitors might take advantage of you.
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