fish v.1
1. (US campus) to toady, to ingratiate oneself.
 | Diary I 261: He courts me a good deal, and fishes [DA]. | |
| will of Charle Prentiss in (1856) 200: I give to those that fish for parts, / Long sleepless nights, and aching hearts. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | letter 17 Oct. in Hall (1856) 201: The good conduct which I have advised you [...] may expose you to the opprobrious epithet, fishing. | |
| class poem in (1856) 202: And since his fishing on the land was vain, / To try his luck upon the azure main. | |
| Rebelliad 35: Who would fish a fine to save! / Let him turn and flee. | |
| College Words (rev. edn) 199: fish [...] to seek or gain the good-will of an instructor by flattery, caresses, kindness, or officious civilities. | |
| ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:i 35: fish, v. To try to get a favor from. [...] To curry favor with instructors. | |
| Taxi-Dance Hall 101: They’re such easy ‘carp’ I figure [...] I need the money more than the others, and I might just as well be the one to ‘fish’ them. [Ibid.] 102: ‘Fishing’ and the ‘sex game’ become for these girls the accepted way of earning a living. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Capricornia (1939) 47: Joe went back to Poundamore Downs [...] offering to take the motherless Marigold to give her into the care of her grandparents. Oscar declined the offer, but paid the steamer-fares for which Joe was fishing when he made the offer. | |
| Down These Mean Streets (1970) 223: We fished real close and felt each other up. She had a couple of kids from some other cat, so she was hip on what a man dug. |
2. to interrogate.
| Bushranger’s Sweetheart 185: Of course he came to fish you about Walker. |
3. (UK black/gang) to look around for victims (to be robbed, attacked).
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Fishing - looking for victims. |
SE in slang uses
In phrases
(US black) to gossip.
| Jive and Sl. |
either carry out what you’re doing to the fullest extent or let someone else more competent get on with it while you take a secondary role; note cit. 2004 which is a comb. of this phr. and shit or get off the pot phr.
| N.Y. Times 11 July 8: Ex-councilman MERRITT was in favor of indorsing the nomination: they must either fish, or cut bait, and as they were not large enough to fish they must be content to cut bait for Tammany. | |
| Congressional Record 5 Aug. 5226/1: Now I want you gentlemen on the other side of the House to ‘fish or cut bait’ [DA]. | |
| Denver Post 26 Apr. 4/2: [poem title] Fish, Cut Bait, or Go Ashore. | |
| N.Y. Eve. Post 15 Jan. 6: A visitor said the other day that it was to be wished that Senator Hanna would either ‘fish or cut bait.’ But the shrewd Ohio man will probably maintain for a time his ambiguous position [DA]. | |
| Green Bay Press-Gazette 30 June 8/4: Our duly appointed delegates at the Philadelphia convention must have realized that they had to either fish or cut bait [DA]. | |
| On the Waterfront (1964) 241: Fish or cut bait. Spill or button up. | |
| Maledicta 1 (Summer) 9: The main thing is to [...] get down to the treal linguistic nitty-gritty; to fish or cut bait. | |
| Instrument Flying 255: You are at the Decision Height (DH) and you’ve got to make up your mind—either fish or cut bait! | |
| Drop Dead, My Lovely (2005) 123: Megan and Greg told Jeffy to shit or cut bait. | |
| Pound for Pound 55: So you gonna fish or cut bait? |
1. of objects or information, to obtain, to produce.
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Justified Sinner 85: Every new disappointment only whetted her desire to fish up some particulars concerning it [. . . .] Returning very late one evening from a convocation of family servants, which she had drawn together in order to fish something out of them. | |
| Robbery Under Arms (1922) 10: He fished out this old Mr. Howard [...] and got him to come and keep school. | |
| It’s Up to You 46: No matter in which direction I dipped, I was sure to fish up a ring. | |
| Inimitable Jeeves 33: I fished it [i.e. money] out, and pushed it across. | |
| Brown’s Requiem 13: I fished out my master keys. | |
| Robbers (2001) 4: Eddie fished the packet from his T-shirt pocket. |
2. (US Und.) to rob.
| Somebody in Boots 300: Norah would take him and then fish out the till. |