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swim against the stream
To act or behave in opposition or contrary to what is generally understood, assumed, practiced, or accepted. I had to swim against the stream to get the company to adopt more eco-friendly habits, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.
be swimming with the fishes
gangster cliché To be murdered and have one's body disposed of in a river, lake, or ocean. (A less common variant of "be sleeping with the fishes.") Don't worry, boss, that no-good snitch will be swimming with the fishes before sunrise.
swim upstream
To go against or disagree with a prevailing or popularly held opinion or perspective; to act or behave contrary to the majority of others. When I was in college, I really swam upstream with some radical opinions, but as I've grown older, I've found myself falling more in line with others. I don't understand why you always have to swim upstream instead of making things a little easier on yourself!
swim with the current
To go along or agree with the prevailing or popularly held opinion or perspective; to act or behave the same way as the majority of others. When I was in college, I used to have a lot of radical opinions and beliefs, but as I've grown older, I find myself swimming with the current more often. I'm sorry, but I simply refuse to swim along with the current just because it's the easier option!
swim with the stream
To go along or agree with the prevailing or popularly held opinion or perspective; to act or behave the same way as the majority of others. When I was in college, I used to have a lot of radical opinions and beliefs, but as I've grown older, I find myself swimming with the stream more often. I'm sorry, but I simply refuse to swim along with the stream just because it's the easier option!
swim with sharks
1. Literally, to be in the water with sharks. My brother is a real adventurer—he's bungee jumped before and has even swam with sharks!
2. To be involved with cunning, possibly dangerous, people. I know you think you're a hustler, but you're swimming with sharks now—you could lose all your money against these guys. Before you start swimming with sharks, consider this—the last guy who went into business with them wound up dead!
be in the swim (of things)
To be actively involved in and knowledgeable about something. It took me a few months to adjust to my new job, but now I'm really in the swim of things. I want to be in the swim when I come back from leave, so I get updates from my team every week.
*in the swim of things
Fig. involved in or participating in events or happenings. (*Typically: be ~; get [into]~.) I've been ill, but soon I'll be back in the swim of things. I can't wait to settle down and get into the swim of things.
make someone's head swim
and make someone's head spin 1. Fig. to make someone dizzy or disoriented. Riding the merry-go-round makes my head spin. Breathing the gas made my head swim.
2. Fig. to confuse or overwhelm someone. All these numbers make my head swim. The physics lecture made my head spin.
out of the swim of things
Fig. not in the middle of activity; not involved in things. (The opposite of in the swim of things.) While I had my cold, I got out of the swim of things. I've been out of the swim of things for a few weeks. Please bring me up-to-date.
sink or swim
Fig. to fail or succeed. (Alludes to the choices available to someone who has fallen into the water.) After I've studied and learned all I can, I have to take the test and sink or swim. It's too late to help John now. It's sink or swim for him.
swim against the tide
and swim against the current 1. Lit. to swim in a direction opposite to the flow of the water. She became exhausted, swimming against the tide. If you really want strenuous exercise, go out in the stream and swim against the current.
2. Fig. to do something that is in opposition to the general movement of things. Why can't you cooperate? Do you always have to swim against the tide? You always seem to waste your energy swimming against the current.
swim around
to swim here and there. I just like to get into the pool and swim around. I saw only one fish swimming around in your aquarium.
swim before someone's eyes
Fig. [for something, such as spots or visions] to appear in one's field of vision. I was getting feverish and spots swam before my eyes. Visions of total destruction swam before my eyes as the bus skidded in the snow.
swim for it
to escape by swimming. (See also
run for it.)
I escaped from the guard, dived into the river, and swam for it. Max swam for it, but he didn't get away.swim for someone or something
to travel toward someone or something by swimming. I swam for George, who was farther out, holding onto a float. I am going to swim for the island.
swim in something
1. Lit. to swim in a body of water. Is it safe to swim in this water? Can we swim in your pool?
2. Fig. to experience an overabundance of something. (Not directly related to {2}) We are just swimming in orders right now. Business is good. Mr. Wilson is swimming in money.
swim into something
to enter something swimming. They swam into a lovely grotto. Ted swam into the cove and got out on the beach.
swim toward someone or something
to swim in the direction of someone or something. Jeff swam toward the drowning man and helped him. I swam toward the boat.
swim with something
to swim in the same direction as the movement of water. Fred had no trouble swimming with the current. Please swim with the current and not against it.
swim in something
to have too much of something The company is swimming in cash and trying to figure out what to do with it. Every meal was swimming in grease.
sink or swim
to fail or succeed Newcomers are given no training - they are simply left to sink or swim.
be in the swim (of things)
to know about and be involved in an activity, especially something that is new or changing When the children were little I still did a day's work a week, just to keep me in the swim of things.
See go against the tidego/swim against the tide
to do the opposite of what most other people are doing It's not easy to go against the tide in defence of your principles. (sometimes + of ) He always seemed to be swimming against the tide of public opinion.
See drift with the tide, stem the tide, turn the tidein the swim
Actively participating, in the thick of things, as in He was new in town, but he soon got in the swim at school. This expression alludes to the fishing term for a large number of fish in one area, a so-called swim. [Mid-1800s]
sink or swim
Succumb or succeed, no matter what, as in Now that we've bought the farm, we'll have to make a go of it, sink or swim. This expression alludes to the former barbaric practice of throwing a suspected witch into deep water, often weighted down. In case of sinking, the victim died; in case of swimming, the victim was considered in league with the devil and therefore was executed. A related idiom, float or sink, was used by Chaucer in the late 1300s; Shakespeare had the current form in 1 Henry IV (1:3): "Or sink or swim."
swim against the current
Also,
swim against the stream or tide . Go against prevailing opinion or thought, as in
I'm voting for him even if that is swimming against the current. Shakespeare used a similar metaphor in
2 Henry IV (5:2): "You must now speak Sir John Falstaff fair, which swims against your stream." For the antonym, see
swim with the tide.
swim with the tide
Go along with prevailing opinion or thought, as in
Irene doesn't have a mind of her own; she just swims with the tide. In the late 1600s this idiom was also put as
swim down the stream, a usage not much heard today. The present form was first recorded in 1712. For the antonym, see
swim against the current.
swim in
v.1. To be covered or flooded with or as if with some liquid: This roast beef is swimming in gravy.
2. To possess a large amount of something; abound in something: After winning the lottery, she was swimming in money.
sink or swim
Informal To fail or succeed without alternative.
in the swim
Active in the general current of affairs.
swim against the stream
To move counter to a prevailing trend.