way out of a paper bag
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.58 in modern English
33
Scrabble Score
17
Letters
3
Syllables
12
Unique Chars
Meaning
phrase
A minimal level of competence or effectiveness, as used in phrases where one is unable to perform.
Slang
Example Sentences
- "My boss is so clueless, he couldn't schedule his own way out of a paper bag."
- "Junior varsity couldn't play their way out of a paper bag in comparison."
- "The old chap did not look as though he could push his way out of a paper bag."
- "Personally I don’t think this egg could punch his way out of a paper bag. He’s only been workin’ in this trap two days"
- "To be fair, many people who couldn’t punctuate their way out of a paper bag are still interested in the way punctuation can alter the sense of a string of words. It is the basis of all “I’m sorry, I’ll read that again” jokes."
- "“You'd hate his cooking[,” he said.] “Most guys can't cook their way out of a paper bag[,” Charlotte said.]"