[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 (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. |
drink like a fish
Consume large amounts of alcoholic beverages, as in He always drinks like a fish at holiday dinners. The expression, first recorded in the mid-1600s, alludes to the way fish obtain oxygen, which causes them to be open-mouthed and appear to be constantly drinking.