He is all at sea..

The smart company executive was all at sea trying to answer the journalists’ questions

He wants to improve English communication skills but is all at sea in the flood of English speaking institutes, books, CDs, softwares and  courses. He is thoroughly confused as to which one would be his best bet.

“All at sea” – that’s the target phrase for now.

Imagine being at sea in your own little boat. Blue water everywhere to the last limit of what your eyes can sea. You can’t make our East from West, North from South. You don’t know which way to take your little boat. You don’t know which direction would take you to the shore and which one deeper in the sea. Imagine how you’d feel in such a situation.

That’s pretty much a person who is “all at sea” would feel. Throughly confused, utterly clueless, not knowing what to do or where to go.

Let’s take some examples:

1. The buyers are all at sea with so many real estate projects advertising a dream living in their apartment complexes. There is no way to know how many of these will really get completed, what are the hidden charges and how will the builder behave once the money is paid.
2. The freshers were all at sea in the college for a few days. However, soon they made friends and began feeling at home.
3. Chandu Lal, the simple villager was all at sea at London airport. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw his brother Mangu Lal coming to recieve him.

Use all at sea to describe someone’s bewildered state. Let’s close with some more examples:

1. When it comes to tax filings, I am all at sea. I need a very good CA.
2. He is all at sea when it comes to technology. I don’t understand how is he able to run a technology company.
3. When the inspector of schools asked some simple GK questions, the students were all at sea.