wet behind the ears, (still)
wet behind the ears, (still)
Immature, inexperienced. This term refers to the fact that the last place to dry on a newborn colt or calf is the indentation behind its ears. Although the observation is surely older, the term dates from the early twentieth century. J. F. Straker used it in his novel A Coil of Rope (1962): “You’re still wet behind the ears, darling. It’s time you grew up.”
See also: behind, wet
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- wet behind the ears
- greenhorn
- be (as) green as a gooseberry
- gooseberry
- green as a gooseberry
- punk kid
- newborn
- (as) innocent as a newborn babe
- babe
- rookie