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

By 2018, Bigham was on the Great Britain cycling team but found he was the square peg in a round hole.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2024

I don’t know exactly what that might look like, but it does feel like a little bit of a square peg in a round hole the way we’re trying to deal with it right now.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2024

“I’ve always been a square peg in a round hole, and I was well aware of that, but when I drove into town I realized I’d found where I’m going to stay until I die.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

“I keep coming back to this fear that we’re trying to put a square peg in a round hole here.”

From Washington Times • Apr. 19, 2023

A square peg in a round hole; a man with every natural attribute of a master of men.

From The Wreck of the Titan or, Futility by Robertson, Morgan