Undertow

[veron111]

Hello,
Please, could you explain to me what means:

"to be caught in the undertow"

Is it meant literally or is it an idiom?

Thank you very much

[Hi_there_Carl]

"to be caught in the undertow" can be used either literally or figuratively.

The literal meaning for swimmers is to be caught in a strong subsurface flow of water returning seaward from the shore as a result of wave action.

The figurative (idiomatic) meaning is to be carried in the opposite direction by popular opinion. Example: "He did not believe that global warming was being caused by human activity but he was caught in the undertow of political correctness."