All at sea

Posted by R. Berg on February 21, 2003

In Reply to: All at sea posted by Jack Quinn on February 21, 2003

: Can anyone help with an explanation of the phrase "being all at sea"?

It means being lost, confused, disoriented, bewildered; having no reference point, not knowing how to respond to one's current circumstances. On land, there are helpful landmarks for navigation; on the open sea, there aren't. As Bob Dylan put it, "no direction home."