babe in the woods
Guileless newcomer lost
A babe in the woods is someone naive and inexperienced, vulnerable to deception or harm in unfamiliar circumstances.
The phrase evokes a helpless child lost in the forest: He's a babe in the woods when it comes to office politics.
Often used to describe someone entering a situation where others will take advantage of their innocence.
Unable to act independently
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- unprotectedWithout safeguard or shield
- exposedOut in open
- preyAnimal being hunted
easy mark · target · victim · susceptible · endangered · at risk · in danger · lost
helpless
Unable to act independently
- defenselessWithout means to resist
- unprotectedWithout safeguard or shield
- exposedOut in open
prey · easy mark · target · victim · susceptible · endangered · at risk · in danger · lost · overwhelmed
naive
Innocently unsuspecting
credulous · unsuspecting · guileless · ingenuous · unwary · simple · artless · unsophisticated · childlike · unworldly
novice
Inexperienced newcomer to field
- beginnerOne who lacks experience
- greenhornInexperienced, gullible newcomer
- rookieInexperienced newcomer
neophyte · newcomer · tenderfoot · fledgling · tyro · newbie · amateur · uninitiated · raw · untried
babe in the woodsseasoned veteran
Highly experienced person
old hand · veteran · expert · sophisticate · man of the world
babe in the woodsnobody's fool
Person not easily deceived
savvy · street-smart · cunning fox · sharp cookie · smooth operator
babe, babes, babies, babied, babying, babyish, babyhood, wood, woods