dead in the water

Idioms  

1. Unable to function or move; inoperable. For example, Without an effective leader, our plans for expansion are dead in the water. Originally referring to a crippled ship, this colloquialism was soon applied more broadly.

---

Example Sentences

The boats had rejected their inputs and automatically idled as a fail-safe, making them “dead” in the water.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said the boats went “dead in the water” as an automatic fail-safe, which prevented them from causing damage or injury.

From The Wall Street Journal

Once again, we were dead in the water.

From Literature

Without AI, the U.S. economy would be dead in the water, according to Jason Furman of Harvard External link, a former head of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Barack Obama.

From Barron's

More of this and Scotland's World Cup hopes will be dead in the water, if not in Group C but in the play-offs.

From BBC