uncharted waters

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a situation, territory, or domain in which there is no prior experience, established precedent, or reliable map to guide decisions and actions, placing those involved in the position of explorers who must navigate by improvisation and careful observation rather than by following known routes; the phrase draws on the maritime tradition of charting coastlines and ocean passages, in which unmarked areas of a map indicated genuine hazard and the need for the utmost caution and attention; it is used to describe any novel problem, unprecedented circumstance, or genuinely new field of endeavour in which the absence of prior cases means that even experienced practitioners are operating without the guidance of established knowledge and tested procedures