A: I’m so angry with Jeff. He seems so dumb and cannot do one thing right.

    B: Be patient with him. He’s the new kid on the block. He doesn’t know all the rules yet.

    Note: This term refers to someone new to a group or area. Unsurprisingly, this phrase is of U.S. origin. It is first seen there in the 1940s. It could be found in a “Skippy” cartoon, by Percy Crosby from The Lowell Sun in December 1941. The literal meaning refers to a child who has just moved to a certain neighborhood. The figurative meaning is a new person in a place or organization who has many things to learn. A U.S. boy band from Boston, Massachusetts popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s called themselves New Kids on the Block.