[fish] 
noun, plural (especially collectively
) fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) fish⋅es, verb | 1. | any of various cold-blooded, aquatic vertebrates, having gills, commonly fins, and typically an elongated body covered with scales. |
| 2. | (loosely) any of various other aquatic animals. |
| 3. | the flesh of fishes used as food. |
| 4. | Fishes, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Pisces. |
| 5. | Informal. a person: an odd fish; a poor fish. |
| 6. | a long strip of wood, iron, etc., used to strengthen a mast, joint, etc. |
| 7. | Cards Slang. an incompetent player whose incompetence can be exploited. |
| 8. | Slang. a dollar: He sold the car for 500 fish. |
| 9. | Slang. a new prison inmate. |
| 10. | to catch or attempt to catch (any species of fish or the like). |
| 11. | to try to catch fish in (a stream, lake, etc.): Let's fish the creek. |
| 12. | to draw, as by fishing (often fol. by up or out): He fished a coin out of his pocket for the boy. |
| 13. | to search through, as by fishing. |
| 14. | Nautical.
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| 15. | to catch or attempt to catch fish, as by angling or drawing a net. |
| 16. | to search carefully: He fished through all his pockets but his wallet was gone. |
| 17. | to seek to obtain something indirectly or by artifice: to fish for compliments; to fish for information. |
| 18. | to search for or attempt to catch onto something under water, in mud, etc., by the use of a dredge, rake, hook, or the like. |
| 19. | to attempt to recover detached tools or other loose objects from an oil or gas well. |
| 20. | fish out, to deplete (a lake, stream, etc.) of fish by fishing. |
| 21. | drink like a fish, to drink alcoholic beverages to excess: Nobody invites him out because he drinks like a fish. |
| 22. | fish in troubled waters, to take advantage of troubled or uncertain conditions for personal profit. |
| 23. | fish or cut bait, to choose a definite course of action, esp. to decide whether to participate in or retreat from an activity. |
| 24. | fish out of water, a person out of his or her proper or accustomed environment: He felt like a fish out of water in an academic atmosphere. |
| 25. | neither fish nor fowl, having no specific character or conviction; neither one nor the other. |
| 26. | other fish to fry, other matters requiring attention: When it was time to act, they had other fish to fry. |
[fish] | Hamilton, 1808–93, U.S. statesman: secretary of state 1869–77. |
| fish (fĭsh) n. pl. fish or fish·es
v. intr.
fish outTo deplete (a lake, for example) of fish by fishing. Idiom(s): fish in troubled watersTo try to take advantage of a confused situation. Idiom(s): fish or cut bait Informal To proceed with an activity or abandon it altogether. Idiom(s): like a fish out of waterCompletely unfamiliar with one's surroundings or activity. Idiom(s): neither fish nor fowlHaving no specific characteristics; indefinite. Idiom(s): other fish to fry Informal Other matters to attend to: He declined to come along to the movie, saying he had other fish to fry. [Middle English, from Old English fisc.] |
| Fish (fĭsh) American politician who was a U.S. representative from New York, (1843-1845), governor of New York (1849-1850), a U.S. senator (1851-1857), and U.S. secretary of state (1869-1877). |
fish
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"Of all diversions ... fishing is the worst qualified to amuse a man who is at once indolent and impatient." [Scott, 1814]
fish
(Adelaide University, Australia) 1. Another metasyntactic variable. See foo. Derived originally from the Monty Python skit in the middle of "The Meaning of Life" entitled "Find the Fish".
2.
[The Jargon File]
(1994-12-01)
Fish
called _dag_ by the Hebrews, a word denoting great fecundity (Gen. 9:2; Num. 11:22; Jonah 2:1, 10). No fish is mentioned by name either in the Old or in the New Testament. Fish abounded in the Mediterranean and in the lakes of the Jordan, so that the Hebrews were no doubt acquainted with many species. Two of the villages on the shores of the Sea of Galilee derived their names from their fisheries, Bethsaida (the "house of fish") on the east and on the west. There is probably no other sheet of water in the world of equal dimensions that contains such a variety and profusion of fish. About thirty-seven different kinds have been found. Some of the fishes are of a European type, such as the roach, the barbel, and the blenny; others are markedly African and tropical, such as the eel-like silurus. There was a regular fish-market apparently in Jerusalem (2 Chr. 33:14; Neh. 3:3; 12:39; Zeph. 1:10), as there was a fish-gate which was probably contiguous to it. Sidon is the oldest fishing establishment known in history.
fish
In addition to the idioms beginning with fish, also see big fish in a small pond; cold fish; drink like a fish; goldfish bowl; kettle of fish; like shooting fish in a barrel; neither fish nor fowl; not the only fish in the sea; other fish to fry; smell fishy.
| FISH first in, still here |
