babe in the woods

A person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless, especially with respect to an unfamiliar situation or environment.

Pronunciation

  • Context: Australia · Audio

Noun

  1. A person who is innocent, naive, inexperienced, or helpless, especially with respect to an unfamiliar situation or environment.

    idiomatic

    • "Orde, you're all right on the river," said Newmark, with a dry little laugh, "but you're a babe in the woods at this game." - 1908, Stewart Edward White, chapter 11, in The Riverman
    • Taylor is aware of the perception that he is the innocent, exploitable babe in the woods of the Geelong defence. - 2008, Jake Niall, "‘Weakest link’ no more, Harry shows he's tailor-made," The Age (Australia), 8 Sep. (retrieved 23 May 2009)

    Synonyms: sweet summer child ingenue innocent naif

Origin

From the ballad "The Children in the Wood".

Forms

babes in the woods babe in the wood