be in murky waters—said of a confused situation where people may behave in morally questionable ways:
- Patton is now trying to continue running the government without the benefit of a budget. This puts him in murky waters….
Cf.: muddy the waters—make the situation less clear:
- Announcements that parts of this or that sector are to be sold, followed by a retraction just a few days later, serve only to muddy the waters.
fish in murky waters —(also: fish in troubled waters) take advantage of a confused or dubious situation:
- The state has not been careful with its land, which only serves the interest of those who like to fish in murky waters.