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.
See also: swim, tide

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Muireadhach-Irish, Scottish
MaltheMAHL-tə (German)Danish, German
ArthurAHR-thər (English), ar-TUYR (French), AHR-toor (German), AHR-tur (Dutch)English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance
Raymondere-MAWNDFrench
Chelsea['tʃelsi]
Isabelaee-sah-BEL-ah (Spanish)Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian