be/get soaked to the skin

You are wondering about the meaning of the phrase be/get soaked to the skin, maybe you heard it in a TV show, movie or theater play. Although this idiom is not used very often, it enriches your capacity of expression and strengthens communication. In which case is the expression be/get soaked to the skin used and what is its meaning?

Meaning of "be/get soaked to the skin"

Meaning

The idiom 'be/get soaked to the skin' means to be very wet, usually due to heavy rain or water, so that your clothing is completely soaked and the water has penetrated through your clothing and reached your skin. The idiom emphasizes how wet and uncomfortable one is, and how one might not feel dry and fresh even after taking off their wet clothes.

Etymology

The origin of the phrase 'be/get soaked to the skin' is unknown, but similar phrases like 'soaked through' and 'soaked to the bone' have been found in English literature going back to the 17th century. The phrase 'soaked through' was used in Thomas Otway's tragedy Venice Preserv'd in 1682. The phrase 'soaked to the bone' was first found in The History of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding in 1749.

Usage

The idiom 'be/get soaked to the skin' is mainly used to describe a physical sensation of being wet, uncomfortable, and unable to dry off quickly due to the large amount of water that has penetrated through clothing into one's skin. It is often used when talking about a person who has been caught in a heavy rain, but it can also be used in other contexts, like a person who has been swimming or someone who has been splashed by a large wave.

Example Sentences

• We were caught in a terrible rainstorm and got soaked to the skin.
• I was swimming and got completely soaked to the skin.
• The waves were crashing over the boat and we all got soaked to the skin.

Idioms have a common language

"The early bird catches the worm" is an English idiom that means that those who wake up early and start their day early are more likely to succeed. A similar idiom in Spanish is "El que madruga, Dios le ayuda," which translates to "God helps those who rise early." This idiom emphasizes the importance of starting the day early in order to achieve success.