beached whale
Grounded ocean mammal
A beached whale is a whale stranded on shore, typically dying or dead.
The image extends to a person lying sprawled and immobile, usually from exhaustion, overindulgence, or sunbathing: After Thanksgiving dinner, I lay on the couch like a beached whale.
The phrase can be cruel when applied to overweight people.
Left without means to leave
- shorelineLand-water boundary
- tideOcean's cyclical swell
- sandbarUnderwater ridge of sediment
- coastalOf the shoreline
grounded · marooned · rescue · refloat · necropsy · decomposition · blowhole · fluke
Unable to shift
- powerlessLacking strength or authority
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- exposedOut in open
- strandedLeft without means to leave
stuck · trapped · motionless · defenseless · gasping · struggling · weighted · labored breathing
At risk of extinction
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- marine biologyStudy of sea organisms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- protectionGuarding against harm
rehabilitation · sanctuary · rescue · biodiversity · activism · awareness · donation · research
stranded
Left without means to leave
coastal · grounded · marooned · rescue · refloat · necropsy · decomposition · blowhole · fluke · cetacean
immobile
Unable to shift
- powerlessLacking strength or authority
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- exposedOut in open
stranded · stuck · trapped · motionless · defenseless · gasping · struggling · weighted · labored breathing · gravity
endangered
At risk of extinction
- wildlifeUndomesticated natural organisms
- marine biologyStudy of sea organisms
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
protection · rehabilitation · sanctuary · rescue · biodiversity · activism · awareness · donation · research · tagging
mortality
State of eventual death
mourning · heartbreaking · sorrowful · carcass · fatality · decay · disaster · misfortune · spectacle · vigil
- animal remainsbones, bone, skeleton, carcass, carrion
- wildlife mortalitymortality rate, die-off, mass die-off, natural death, natural causes
beached whalein one's element
Ideally suited to surroundings
nimble · agile · sprightly · mobile · free agent
beached whaleathlete
Sports competitor
gazelle · sylph · string bean · beanpole · fitness model
beach, whale, beaches, beaching, beachy, whales, whaling, whaler, whalers