square peg in a round hole

Idioms  

1. Also, round peg in a square hole. A misfit, especially a person unsuited for a position or activity. For example, Ruth doesn't have the finesse for this job; she's a round peg in a square hole. This idiom, with its graphic image of something that cannot fit, dates from about 1800.

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Example Sentences

Foden was tireless, but this was England's equivalent of an ill-fitting square peg in a round hole.

From BBC

Foden, for all his brilliant talent and success with City, has often resembled a square peg in a round hole for England, pushed to the wider margins to accommodate Jude Bellingham, as happened at Euro 2024.

From BBC

Fernandes is not the only United player I look at and think he is a square peg in a round hole.

From BBC

Matheus Nunes is a midfielder playing at right-back and though City managed to paper over it during the group stages, the square peg in a round hole was glaringly obvious once up against decent opposition.

From BBC

The unwieldy best-of-three format, on the other hand, fits like a square peg in a round hole.

From Los Angeles Times