idiom · neutral
thrown in at the deep end
UK/θrəʊn ɪn æt ðə diːp end/US/θroʊn ɪn æt ðə diːp end/thrown·in·at·the·DEEP·end
put into a difficult situation suddenly without preparation or training
Examples
“On my first day at the new job they threw me in at the deep end and asked me to lead a meeting.”
“Students who are thrown in at the deep end without support can quickly lose confidence.”
“The coach threw the young player in at the deep end by assigning him the penalty kick.”
Band 8 sentence
“New recruits were thrown in at the deep end during the busy season, which tested their problem-solving under pressure.”
Collocations
- be thrown in at the deep end without + noun
- throw someone in at the deep end
Word family
Common mistakes
thrown in deep end→thrown in at the deep end
be thrown in the deep end→be thrown in at the deep end
Say it for a higher band
5given a hard task→6put in a difficult situation→7+thrown in at the deep end
Synonyms
left to sink or swim
thrown in at the deep water
Easily confused
left to sink or swim
“She was thrown in at the deep end when the manager resigned unexpectedly.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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