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fish
[fish] noun, plural (especially collectively) fish, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) fish·es, verb noun
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.
EXPANDInformal. 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.
COLLAPSESlang. a new prison inmate.
verb (used with object)
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 followed by up or out): He fished a coin out of his pocket for the boy.
13.
to search through, as by fishing.
14.
Nautical.
a.
to secure (an anchor) by raising the flukes.
b.
to reinforce (a mast or other spar) by fastening a spar, batten, metal bar, or the like, lengthwise over a weak place.
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Fish or cut bait
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrase15.
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.
Idiomsfish 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, especially 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.
EXPANDneither fish nor fowl, having no specific character or conviction; neither one nor the other.
26.
COLLAPSEother fish to fry, other matters requiring attention: When it was time to act, they had other fish to fry.
Origin:
before 900; (noun) Middle English fis(c)h, fyssh, Old English fisc; cognate with Dutch vis, German Fisch, Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fisks; akin to Latin piscis, Irish iasc; (v.) Middle English fishen, Old English fiscian, cognate with Dutch visschen, German fischen, Old Norse fiska, Gothic fiskôn
before 900; (noun) Middle English fis(c)h, fyssh, Old English fisc; cognate with Dutch vis, German Fisch, Old Norse fiskr, Gothic fisks; akin to Latin piscis, Irish iasc; (v.) Middle English fishen, Old English fiscian, cognate with Dutch visschen, German fischen, Old Norse fiska, Gothic fiskôn
Related forms
fish·less, adjective
fish·like, adjective
out·fish, verb (used with object)
un·fished, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Fish or cut bait
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
fish
O.E. fisc, from P.Gmc. *fiskaz (cf. O.H.G. fisc, O.N. fiskr, Du. vis, Ger. Fisch, Goth. fisks), from PIE *piskos (cf. L. piscis). The verb is O.E. fiscian.
EXPAND"Of all diversions ... fishing is the worst qualified to amuse a man who is at once indolent and impatient." [Scott, 1814]Fish story attested from 1819, from the tendency to exaggerate the size of the catch (or the one that got away). Fishtail (v.), of vehicles, first recorded 1927. Figurative sense of fish out of water first recorded 1610s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
fish (fĭsh) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) Plural fish or fishes Any of numerous cold-blooded vertebrate animals that live in water. Fish have gills for obtaining oxygen, a lateral line for sensing pressure changes in the water, and a vertical tail. Most fish are covered with scales and have limbs in the form of fins. Fish were once classified together as a single group, but are now known to compose numerous evolutionarily distinct classes, including the bony fish, cartilaginous fish, jawless fish, lobe-finned fish, and placoderms. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
Fish or cut bait definition
Make a decision now; stop hesitating. To cut bait is to stop fishing.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
fish definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Fish or cut bait definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
fish or cut bait
Either proceed with an activity or abandon it completely. For example, You've been putting off calling him for hours; either fish or cut bait. This expression, often uttered as an imperative, alludes to a fisherman who should either be actively trying to catch fish or cutting up bait for others to use. It was first recorded in the Congressional Record (1876), when Congressman Joseph P. Cannon called for a vote on a bill legalizing the silver dollar: "I want you gentlemen on the other side of the House to 'fish or cut bait.'" A vulgar synonym from the 1940s is shit or get off the pot.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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