The meaning of phraseology "like a fish in water", examples of use

The meaning of many phraseological units of the Russian language can be guessed only by learning some examples of their use and reflecting on the image that is created by the expression. The meaning of phraseology “like a fish in water” is also quite “deduced” from the meaning of its components. This expression, which is close to stylistically neutral, is very common, and its use is very appropriate in a variety of situations.

Value

If many idioms of different languages ​​only mislead us with their imagery, without suggesting anything either by the words that make up them, or by their combination, then the expression that is discussed in this article can be understood literally.

The meaning of phraseology “like a fish in water” reflects the fact that someone feels confident and natural. Most often, this expression means that someone feels so confident that the situation (place, time, team) is the natural environment of his habitat. That is, the expression can really be understood literally: someone is as comfortable as fish in water can be.

Examples of use

Unlike many idiomatic expressions, this idiom is very easy to apply to a variety of situations. Based on comparison, it practically does not resist its distribution: restrictions can be dictated, rather, by minimal stylistic nuances. Almost always, when it comes to a sense of convenience, confidence, ease, freedom, phraseologism “like a fish in water” is appropriate. A sentence with this expression most often contains the word “feel (yourself)”: “At the geometry exam, he was at first constrained and uncertain, but when it came to proving the theorems, he felt like a fish in water.” In this case, phraseological unit in terms of the syntactic role in the sentence is a circumstance (felt like? ). However, this word may be omitted: "In the courtyard of Dimka is like a fish in water - here he knows every bush and every hole." Here phraseology is predicate.

This expression may be appropriate when it says:

- about physical convenience and comfort (ambient temperature, season, comfortable clothes, etc.);

- about the mastered field of knowledge, the sphere of developed skills;

- about a familiar place;

- about the "native" team or the presence of a person who makes the situation comfortable;

- about a situation in which someone is comfortable because of a previously acquired rich life experience or because of personality traits, personality (“Well, you know, if you need to reconcile lovers, then here Marina is like a fish in water”).

Internal contrast

The meaning of phraseology “like a fish in water” often implies a contrast, it can be pronounced, or it can simply be implied. So, in the sentence “He doesn’t ski well, but on ice he is like a fish in water”, this contrast is the basis for the design of thought. Meanwhile, the phrase “In winter I am like a fish in water — I breathe well, and I do everything quickly, and my mood is wonderful” suggests that there is a time of year when the speaker experiences opposite feelings, for example discomfort, ill health, and low mood. The statement of the speaker about his well-being in the summer can be easily predicted: “In the summer I feel very bad: it’s difficult to breathe, I do everything slowly, and there is some kind of longing in my heart.”

Such a contrast can be guessed in a large percentage of phraseological units: “At home, Dmitry felt like a fish in water, so he quickly drew up a plan and wrote comments.” From this proposal, even without context, you can find out that Dmitry somewhere (outside the house) felt insecure, and he was unable to come up with a plan or write comments, or this work was moving very slowly.

Such a “default contrast” is dictated by the seven positive ratings inherent in the expression. “Like a fish in water” - this generally means “good”, which in itself always implies a kind of “bad”.

Exceptional circumstances

In other cases, such a contrast may be almost not expressed or practically not implied, the statement may be aimed at emphasizing the exceptional circumstances: "The conference was dedicated to teenage stuttering, and Svetlana Nikolaevna felt like a fish in water." The proposal, of course, implies that in other areas the subject feels less comfortable, however, the logical emphasis is not on this contrast, but rather on highlighting the situation from all the others, rather than comparing it with the opposite (Svetlana Nikolaevna may an excellent specialist in other related fields, however, teenage stuttering is her strong point).

Nevertheless, precisely because of the great inertia of the seme, the “good” in this phraseology should be used carefully for such purposes, since listeners or readers may have a false understanding of the meaning (Svetlana Nikolaevna does not understand anything in other areas).

Origin

The origin of the phraseology “like a fish in water” is quite transparent, easy to guess and, in fact, does not need special comments. What is more important is the cultural background of the appearance of expression. In order to find an image to describe the most convenient environment for someone, a person chose an environment that is inconvenient for himself and convenient for its natural inhabitant. Of the four elements, only three are inhabited, and only two are associated with life: air and water. The latter is not mastered by man, is not a natural habitat, and its inhabitant evokes a feeling of surprise with comfort and freedom. It is these feelings that the phraseologism conveys. The history of phraseology “like a fish in water” does not represent special significance, it is more important to understand the internal image of expression and the essence of the comparison laid down in it.

Language game

So, what it means “like a fish in water” is quite clear from the expression itself and the context of its use. It is interesting how native speakers beat this phraseological unit.

Great opportunities for language games gives the "literalization" of meaning. For example, irony and humor are felt in the final remark of the following dialogue:

- Well, how, did you buy a catfish?

- They bought it. He is already in the new aquarium.

- Is everything okay?

- Well ... Feels like a fish in the water.

Here both components are literally understood, in other cases one of them may be used in this way. For example, in the following example, the direct meaning of the word “water” reverses the meaning of phraseology.

- Hurry home! Under such a rain without an umbrella ... I feel like a fish in water!

Synonyms and Antonyms

Most phraseologisms have synonyms and antonyms. No exception, and "like a fish in water." The synonym most often found in dictionaries is “like cheese in butter”, and the antonym is “not at ease”. Of course, if we talk about lexical units, and not about idiomatic expressions, then they can be called much more. So, among the synonyms we can recall the following: relaxed, free, relaxed, convenient, comfortable, confident, cozy. And among the antonyms, respectively, are words that are opposite in meaning.

In general, the simultaneous concrete and easily transferred to different situations phraseological meaning “like a fish in water” allows using it in texts of various genres, and its use is affordable for both beginning authors and schoolchildren.