Words and Their Stories: Fish Expressions
April 09, 2011
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
(MUSIC)
Americans use many expressions about fish and fishing. For example, if something sounds
fishy,
it may not be true. Sometimes I feel like
a fish out of water
when I go to a party and everyone but me is doing the latest dance. When I ask my friend if she likes my new dress, I would like her to say something nice. In other words, I am
fishing for a compliment
. You might tell someone to
fish or cut bait
if he repeatedly attempts to do something he is unable to do.
Sometimes a lawyer will ask a witness many questions in an effort to discover the facts of a court case. This is called
going on a fishing expedition.
Some expressions involve different kinds of fish. Information that is used to draw attention away from the real facts of a situation is called a
red herring.
If you want to express a feeling of surprise, you might cry
"holy mackerel!"
although we do not know why a mackerel is holy.
Once I went to a county fair and tried my luck with a game of chance. It was so easy; it was
like shooting fish in a barrel.
Then I went on the fastest, highest and most frightening ride: the roller coaster. At the end of the ride, I did not feel so well. A friend said I looked
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