can't punch one's way out of a paper bag

Be inept, as in Ask him to program the VCR? He can't punch his way out of a paper bag. This hyperbolic term for extreme ineptitude originally was an expression of contempt for a weak or cowardly boxer. [Slang; c. 1910]

See also: bag, of, out, paper, punch, way

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Bridget	['bridʒit]
Couch	[kautʃ]
Ewa	E-vah	Polish
Fulbert	-	French, Ancient Germanic
Hartley	['ha:tli]
Mireia	mee-RE-yə (Catalan)	Catalan, Spanish