Smell Blood (in the Water).
English
idiom
To recognize a weakness in someone that you can take advantage of.
Trusted by1M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To recognize a weakness in someone that you can take advantage of.
Trusted by1M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To sense that someone is weak and move in on them.
When someone smells blood in the water, they spot a chance to win because the other side is struggling.
It is used in business, sports, and politics.
"Go in for the Kill"
—
To make a final decisive move to defeat someone
"Kick Someone While They're Down"
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To attack someone who is already suffering
"Smell Blood (in the Water)"
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To detect weakness in an opponent and prepare to exploit it
The client looked shaky in that meeting — I could feel the other agency smelling blood in the water.
We need to fix those numbers before the next round or we'll lose the contract.
You don't seem yourself today — are you okay?
I need to pull it together — people at work smell blood in the water and I can't show any weakness.
The moment we dropped our price, every competitor smelled blood in the water and undercut us even further.
That's brutal — a race to the bottom nobody wins.
