shark-bait

Noun

shark bait (uncountable)

1. (humorous, idiomatic) One who is in a precarious or vulnerable position.
   • Holden's heart was loud enough to deafen him. He couldn't go against a mage of the power. No one could, no one could ever survive. One word and he was shark-bait.2011, Julia Knight, Ten Ruby Trick, Toronto: Carina Press, →ISBN

   Synonyms:

   dead duck, sitting duck

2. (humorous) One who has been, or is likely to be, attacked by a shark.
   • When Ian informed Will that it was his turn for shark-bait position, he was told, "You know, Lyssa came in second in chess club, but she lost to Seth Birnbaum in the final." By unspoken agreement, Luke, Ian, and Charla stopped asking Will to take his turn dangling in the ocean.2001, Gordon Korman, Island: Book One: Shipwreck, New York, N.Y.: Scholastic Inc., →ISBN, page 118
   1. (Australia, colloquial, humorous) A lone swimmer or surfer far from shore.
      • The meeting formed a committee to investigate and make recommendations to 'counteract the shark menace'. […] [T]he committee […] suggested that 'drastic penalties could be inflicted on surfers who bathed at dangerous hours or swam out far enough to earn the title of "shark bait"'.2014, Caroline [M.] Ford, Sydney Beaches: A History, Coogee, N.S.W.: NewSouth Publishing, →ISBN, page 150
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see shark, bait.
   • Near-synonym: chum

   Synonyms:

   chum