Meaning of “All at Sea”
The phrase “all at sea” means confusion or being lost. In other words, when a person is highly confused, he/she cannot decide what to do in some situation. It is also important to note that before the navigation system was invented, many sailors were lost at sea. They were in dangerous situations, hence lost. It also means a person is panicking or perplexed and unable to see things clearly.
Origin of “All at Sea”
Etymologically, this phrase might have originated from ‘sea’ that’s by people living on sea coasts, where the sailors often found themselves disoriented. Sir William Blackstone has used the term “at sea” in his book Commentaries on the laws of England published for the first time in 1768. It goes, “If a court of equity were still at sea and floated upon the occasional opinion which the judge who happened to preside might entertain of conscience in every particular case.”
However, the complete phrase “all at sea” was first used by Frederick C. Selous in 1893 when he published his book, Travel and Adventure in Southeast Africa. The following is the sentence: “I was rather surprised to find that he seemed all at sea, and had no one ready to go with me.
Examples in Literature
Examples #1
All at Sea by Chris Darlington
In an empty house
I feel all at sea
The waves of loneliness
Wash over meThe waters break
Silently in the darkness
The toss and turn of waves
Rise and fall with solitudeThe sea-spray flies high
Out of the windows of dawn
I wake shipwrecked
And still alone.
This poem shows the meanings of the phrase given in its title as well as in the second line. It has been used as a metaphor for the sea. Additionally, the phrase also means loneliness or being alone. This extended metaphor continues in the second and third stanza where the poet finds himself alone, which is the main reason for his being “all at sea.”
Examples #2
All at Sea – Jamie Cullum
I’m all at sea
Where no one can bother me
Forgot my roots
If only for a day
Just me and my thoughts sailing far away.Like a warm drink it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea.I’m all at sea
Where no one can bother me
I sleep by myself
I drink on my own
Don’t talk to nobody
I gave away my phone.Like a warm drink it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea.Now I need you more than ever
I need you more than ever nowYou don’t need it every day
But sometimes don’t you just crave
To disappear within your mind
You never know what you might find
So come and spend some time with me
We can spend it all at sea.Like a warm drink it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea.
Jammie Cullum wrote and sang this song. Here, ‘All at Sea’ demonstrates the situation of the poet. The phrase shows his predicament. On the other hand, it also shows him alone in the sea, enjoying his loneliness and forgetting his mundane existence. The repetition of the phrase “all at sea” continues until the end and is also been used as a refrain in the song.
Examples #3
All at Sea: A Memoir by Decca Aitkenhead
This is the popular memoir of Decca Aitkenhead, an English writer, journalist, and broadcaster, who married Tony, a gang leader and criminal with a history. Their romance continued until he drowned while saving their only son. Decca suffered from occasional bouts of depression during this tragedy of loss that she has penned down in All at Sea. The use of this phrase as its title shows its meanings within the story of Decca Aitkenhead.
Examples #4
All at Sea by Heather Wardell
Given the title of the phrase, Heather Wardell has beautifully presented the story of Melissa and Owen who met on New Year Eve and married on the last day at the sea during two-week cruising to the Caribbean. Interestingly, Melissa meets Owen’s brothers during this voyage and finds herself involved in love intrigues and glamor. She is in a dilemma similar to the phrase “all at sea”. She discovers that she has also been dating with his two brothers, and now both were with the couple. Therefore, the title rightly depicts her situation.
Examples in Sentences as Literary Devices
Examples #1: “He was all at sea after learning that all his old friends were coming to his house to enjoy.”
Examples #2: “They were all at sea to find that their sons have crossed the borders.” Here the phrase has been used for the confusion which means that it is a metaphor.
Examples #3: “John suddenly found out that his friend’s situation was like all at sea. They tried but could not find the way out.” Here the phrase has been used as a simile.
Examples #4: “His all at sea condition was seen in the darkness of the night as a ghostly presence.” Here the phrase has been used as a symbol of sorrow.
Examples #5: “He does not show that he is all at sea even if you attack him at odd times.” Here the phrase has been used as a metaphor.
