dead in the water

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dead in the water (not comparable)

1. (nautical) Stationary with respect to the current, having no means of propulsion.
   • 2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 22:59 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN)‎, archived from the original on 7 November 2022:

     Unaware of her compatriots' fate, Aaron Ward found herself staring down the gun barrels of Kirishima, a fight that did not end well for the destroyer, which was soon dead in the water.

2. (figurative) Doomed; unable to succeed.
   • 1981, Richard Maibaum, Michael G. Wilson, Ian Fleming, For Your Eyes Only, spoken by Frederick Gray (Geoffrey Keen):

     I'm afraid we have to inform the Prime Minister that Operation Undertow is dead in the water.

   • 2004, Aline Brosh McKenna, Robert Harling, Laws of Attraction, spoken by Audrey Woods (Julianne Moore):

     Each case I handle convinces me further that marriage is dead in the water.

   • 2021 June 16, Adam Morton, quoting Jacqui Lambie, “‘Dead in the water’: key crossbenchers reject Coalition demand to back new environment standards”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Lambie said the crossbench had been clear it also wanted a better approvals process in place before the end of the year, but the minister’s reforms would be “dead in the water if she doesn’t tighten up the standards”.

   • 2021 September 9, Jamie Grierson, “Patel’s plans to send migrant boats back to France unworkable, union says”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Priti Patel’s plans to send back small boats carrying migrants in the Channel are already “dead in the water”, an immigration workers’ union has said.