Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

throw in at the deep end

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.58 in modern English

Syllables
throw in at the deep- end
IPA
32
Scrabble Score
19
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To introduce (someone) to a new situation without adequate preparation.

Etymology

From allusion to an actual swimming pool with a shallow end and deep end. In the shallow end, a person can stand on the bottom. In the deep end, the water is too deep to do this, so a person must be able to swim or at least tread water or drown.

Inflected Forms

throws in at the deep end (present, singular) throwing in at the deep end (participle, present) threw in at the deep end (past) thrown in at the deep end (participle, past)

Phrases

hit the ground running sink or swim in at the deep end

Frequently Paired Words

hit the ground running sink or swim in at the deep end

Questions

What does throw in at the deep end mean?
To introduce (someone) to a new situation without adequate preparation.
Where does throw in at the deep end come from?
From allusion to an actual swimming pool with a shallow end and deep end. In the shallow end, a person can stand on the bottom. In the deep end, the water is too deep to do this, so a person must be able to swim or at least tread water or drown.

How to pronounce throw in at the deep end

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “throw in at the deep end”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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  4. Repeat and practice — Say “throw in at the deep end” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.