Water, water everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink

Cultural  

1. Lines from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The speaker, a sailor on a becalmed ship, is surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink.

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By extension, these lines are used to describe a situation in which someone is in the midst of plenty but cannot partake of it.

Example Sentences

"Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink."

From Dead Men Tell No Tales by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)

"Water, water, everywhere Nor any drop to drink."

From Danger Signals Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers by Hill, John A.

Water, water everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

From The Children's Garland from the Best Poets by Patmore, Coventry Kersey Dighton