The exact origin of this phrase is unknown but it starts appearing in literary works as early as 1483 when Geoffrey Chaucer penned:
"...a huge man, uncouth; a master of vessel and knew all the ports; not ride well; like a fish out of water as sat on his horse."
The phrase meant then, as it still does today, that someone is in a situation that they are unsuited for or unfamiliar with.
(source)
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