A square peg in a round hole is a person whose character or skills don't suit their job, role or surroundings. A square peg won't go into a round hole however hard you push. It often hints that the person would shine somewhere else: a square peg in sales, a star in research.
When would you say a square peg in a round hole?
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be / feel like a square peg in a round hole; a bit of a square peg
- A designer who loved experimentation felt like a square peg in a round hole in that rigid office.
- He was a square peg in a round hole as a sales manager but flourished in research.
- The quiet new presenter felt like a square peg in a round hole on the noisy game show.
What changed
First versionHe was a square peg in round hole as a sales manager.
RevisionHe was a square peg in a round hole as a sales manager.
In a long idiom the second a is easy to drop, especially in fast speech: a square peg in round hole. But the idiom has an article before both nouns: a square peg in a round hole. Putting a back before round hole makes the expression whole again.
A fish out of water feels awkward in an unfamiliar setting: the first day in a new country, a formal party. That usually passes with experience. A square peg in a round hole is a mismatch between a person and a role that time doesn't fix: He's a square peg in a round hole as a manager.
Your turn
Calling someone a square peg in a round hole means they are ___ that job.
Show the answer
wrong for — The idiom says the person isn't suited to the role by nature, not that they're new to it. For someone new and uncomfortable in a setting, English says a fish out of water.
Write about someone you know who left a job that didn't suit them and found work they love.
Lena was a square peg in a round hole in sales, but she loved the careful work of editing.
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