be new to the game

To be inexperienced in a particular area. (Despite its use of the word "game," this phrase does not usually refer to sports.) I know my employees are skeptical of me because I'm new to the game—I need to find a way to gain their trust. It's his first day working construction, so cut him a little slack—he's new to the game. This is the first time I've been on a date in, gosh, decades. I feel like I'm new to the game.