fresh off the boat
Recently landed immigrant
Fresh off the boat describes someone who has recently arrived from another country, especially an immigrant who hasn't yet assimilated to local customs, language, or culture.
The phrase can be neutral or disparaging depending on context and speaker—immigrants sometimes use it self-referentially, while from outsiders it often carries condescension: My parents were fresh off the boat from Vietnam.
Often abbreviated FOB.
Non-native person
- strangerPerson not yet known
- alienNon-native being
- outsiderOne excluded from group
- nonnativeNot indigenous to a place
expatriate · transplant · sojourner · visitor · interloper · displaced · exile · unfamiliar
Recent arrival somewhere
- arrivalAct of reaching destination
- migrantOne who relocates
- refugeePerson fleeing danger abroad
- visaTravel authorization stamp
green card · naturalization · citizenship · undocumented · deportation · integration · assimilation · diaspora
Innocently unsuspecting
- greenColor of vegetation
- greenhornInexperienced, gullible newcomer
- unseasonedLacking flavor or experience
- rawIn original state
callow · uninitiated · unacquainted · wide-eyed · bewildered · overwhelmed · lost · confused
First three letters
- memoirWritten personal recollection
- TaiwaneseOf the island republic
- OrlandoCentral Florida city
- restaurantPlace serving meals
comedy · representation · Asian American · television · family · 1990s
foreigner
Non-native person
nonnative · expatriate · transplant · sojourner · visitor · interloper · displaced · exile · unfamiliar · disoriented
newcomer
Recent arrival somewhere
visa · green card · naturalization · citizenship · undocumented · deportation · integration · assimilation · diaspora · relocation
naive
Innocently unsuspecting
- greenColor of vegetation
- greenhornInexperienced, gullible newcomer
- unseasonedLacking flavor or experience
raw · callow · uninitiated · unacquainted · wide-eyed · bewildered · overwhelmed · lost · confused · learning curve
ABC
First three letters
restaurant · comedy · representation · Asian American · television · family · 1990s
fresh off the boatassimilated
Absorbed into a whole
acculturated · Americanized · established · integrated · naturalized
fresh off the boatnative-born
Born in referenced place
native · second-generation · homegrown · born and raised · native son
fresh, fresher, freshest, freshly, freshen, freshness, refresh, refreshing, refreshment