bottom rung

plural bottom rungs

1. literalThe lowest step on a ladder.
2. figurativelyinformalThe lowest level within a hierarchy, series etc..

   1 more example

   Learning Ukrainian, it turned out, was more than a side-interest, an extracurricular activity. It forced me to look at myself in entirely new ways. In my 50s – treading the pleasant plateau of knowing broadly how to do my job after all these years – it was confronting to be back at the bottom rung of knowledge, out of my depth.

   2026 August 4, Charlotte Higgins, “‘The war leaked into every lesson’: learning Ukrainian in a country under siege”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2026