Definition

1. Noun:

   • A cold-blooded aquatic vertebrate animal: An animal that lives in water, breathes through gills, and usually has fins and scales.
   • The flesh of such an animal used as food: The meat from a fish, consumed as a meal.
   • (Astrology) Pisces: The twelfth sign of the zodiac, or a person born under this sign (approximately February 19 to March 20).

2. Verb:

   • To try to catch fish: To attempt to capture fish from a body of water, typically as a sport or for food.
   • To search or feel for something: To seek something indirectly or by groping, often within a concealed space.
   • To attempt to obtain something indirectly: To try to elicit information, compliments, or a reaction through indirect means.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The trout is a freshwater fish.
  • For dinner, we are having grilled fish.
  • My sister is a Fish, as her birthday is in March.

• Verb:

  • They fish in the lake every Saturday morning.
  • She had to fish her keys out of her deep bag.
  • He's always fishing for compliments about his cooking.

Advanced Usage

• "A fish out of water": A person who feels awkward or uncomfortable because they are in an unfamiliar situation.

  • At the formal gala, the casual surfer felt like a fish out of water.

• "Neither fish nor fowl": Something that is difficult to classify or does not belong to any distinct category.

  • The movie was a strange mix of comedy and horror; it was neither fish nor fowl.

• "To have bigger/other fish to fry": To have more important or pressing matters to attend to.

  • I can't worry about that minor issue now; I have bigger fish to fry.

Variants and Related Words

• Fishing (n): The activity of catching fish.

  • He enjoys fly fishing in the river.

• Fisherman/Fisherwoman (n): A person who catches fish as a job or for sport.

  • The fisherman returned to the harbor with his catch.

• Fishy (adj): Literally smelling or tasting like fish; figuratively, arousing suspicion or seeming dubious.

  • His excuse for being late sounded very fishy.

Synonyms

• Noun: Seafood, catch, Pisces (astrological).
• Verb: Angle, trawl, grope, seek.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Fish out: To pull or take something out from a place where it is concealed.

  • He fished out a old photograph from the drawer.

• Fish for: To try to obtain something, especially information or praise, in an indirect way.

  • She kept talking about her hard work, clearly fishing for recognition.

Related Idioms

• "There are plenty of other fish in the sea": There are many other opportunities or potential partners available (often used regarding relationships).

  • Don't be sad about the breakup; there are plenty of other fish in the sea.

• "To drink like a fish": To drink alcohol to excess, frequently and in large quantities.

  • After winning the championship, the team went out and drank like fish.

Noun

1. the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20
2. (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Pisces
3. the flesh of fish used as food
   • in Japan most fish is eaten raw
   • after the scare about foot-and-mouth disease a lot of people started eating fish instead of meat
   • they have a chef who specializes in fish
4. any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
   • the shark is a large fish
   • in the living room there was a tank of colorful fish

Verb

1. catch or try to catch fish or shellfish
   • I like to go fishing on weekends
2. seek indirectly
   • fish for compliments