wet behind the ears

Alternative forms

 * , wet-behind-the-ears

Etymology
c. 1850, Pennsylvania,.

From the drying of amniotic fluid on a baby after birth, specifically a new-born farm animal, which last dries behind the ears (partly because licked dry by mother everywhere else). Alternative forms also from German.

Adjective

 * 1)  Inexperienced; just beginning; immature (especially in judgment).

Usage notes

 * This expression is usually hyphenated when placed before the noun it modifies.

Synonyms

 * See also Thesaurus:naive

Translations

 * Bulgarian: с жълто около устата
 * Chinese:
 * Cantonese: 乳臭未乾
 * Mandarin:, 少不更事的
 * Dutch: nat achter de oren
 * Finnish: ; märkäkorva
 * German: grün hinter den Ohren green behind the ears, still being green behind the ears, nicht trocken hinter den Ohren not dry behind the ears, noch nicht trocken hinter den Ohren not yet dry behind the ears, feucht hinter den Ohren wet behind the ears, noch feucht hinter den Ohren still wet behind the ears
 * Hungarian: someone having green ears,, ,
 * Icelandic: óharðnaður, óreyndur
 * Italian: alle prime armi, muovere i primi passi, essere un novellino
 * Japanese: 尻が青い (to have a) blue butt
 * Latvian: vēl slapjš aiz ausīm
 * Navajo: chąąmąʼii ádílʼį́
 * Norwegian: våt bak ørene
 * Russian: the milk has not dried on the lips
 * Vietnamese: chân ướt chân ráo