fresh off the boat

[ fresh awf thuh boht, of ]

idiom

, Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.

1. being a very recent immigrant, especially from another continent and culture:

   I was a shy Indian kid fresh off the boat, with weird clothes and a thick accent, and he was a basketball player from West Philadelphia.

Sensitive Note

The expression fresh off the boat is sometimes used by immigrants themselves or by friends and family to joke about or reflect on a time when they knew less about their adoptive country than they know now. When used in self-reference, no offense is usually intended or taken. However, when attributed by nonimmigrants to immigrants with whom they are not close, the expression can be offensive or disparaging.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fresh off the boat¹

First recorded in 1910–15, in reference to food

Related Words

• alien
• immigrant
• outsider