fish : Idioms & Phrases

Index


Age of Fishes

  • noun from 405 million to 345 million years ago; preponderance of fishes and appearance of amphibians and ammonites
    Devonian period; Devonian.
WordNet
  • . See under Age, n., 8.
Webster 1913

Alligator fish

  • (Zoöl.), a marine fish of northwestern America (Podothecus acipenserinus).
Webster 1913

amber fish

Am"ber fish
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A fish of the southern Atlantic coast (Seriola Carolinensis.)
Webster 1913

anemone fish

  • noun live associated with sea anemones
WordNet

Angel fish

  • . (Zoöl.) (a) A species of shark (Squatina angelus) from six to eight feet long, found on the coasts of Europe and North America. It takes its name from its pectoral fins, which are very large and extend horizontally like wings when spread. (b) One of several species of compressed, bright colored fishes warm seas, belonging to the family, Chætodontidæ.
Webster 1913

angler fish

  • noun fishes having large mouths with a wormlike filament attached for luring prey
    lotte; Lophius Americanus; allmouth; anglerfish; angler; monkfish; goosefish.
WordNet

archer fish

Arch"er fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A small fish (Toxotes jaculator), of the East Indies; -- so called from its ejecting drops of water from its mouth at its prey. The name is also applied to Chætodon rostratus.
Webster 1913

Balance fish

  • . (Zoöl) See Hammerhead.
Webster 1913

balloon fish

Bal*loon" fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A fish of the genus Diodon or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. See Globefish, and Bur fish.
Webster 1913

band fish

Band" fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A small red fish of the genus Cepola; the ribbon fish.
Webster 1913

  • (Zoöl.), a large fish of the genus Histiophorus, of the Swordfish family, having a broad bannerlike dorsal fin; the sailfish. One species (H. Americanus) inhabits the North Atlantic.
Webster 1913

barber fish

Bar"ber fish
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) See Surgeon fish.
Webster 1913

Basket fish

  • noun any starfish-like animal of the genera Euryale or Astrophyton or Gorgonocephalus having slender complexly branched interlacing arms radiating from a central disc
    basket star.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), an ophiuran of the genus Astrophyton, having the arms much branched. See Astrophyton.
Webster 1913

bellows fish

  • noun small bottom-dwelling fish of warm seas having a compressed body and a long snout with a toothless mouth
    snipefish.
WordNet
Bel"lows fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A European fish (Centriscus scolopax), distinguished by a long tubular snout, like the pipe of a bellows; -- called also trumpet fish, and snipe fish.
Webster 1913

big fish

  • noun an important influential person
    big cheese; big gun; big shot; big wheel; head honcho; big deal; big enchilada.
    • he thinks he's a big shot
    • she's a big deal in local politics
    • the Qaeda commander is a very big fish
WordNet

biplane flying fish

  • noun having both pectoral and pelvic fins enlarged
    biplane flying fish.
WordNet

blennioid fish

  • noun elongated mostly scaleless marine fishes with large pectoral fins and reduced pelvic fins
    blennioid.
WordNet

Bony fish

  • noun any fish of the class Osteichthyes
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), the menhaden.
Webster 1913

Bottle fish

  • (Zoöl.), a kind of deep-sea eel (Saccopharynx ampullaceus), remarkable for its baglike gullet, which enables it to swallow fishes two or three times its won size.
Webster 1913

bottom fish

  • noun fish that live on the sea bottom (particularly the commercially important gadoid fish like cod and haddock, or flatfish like flounder)
    groundfish.
WordNet

Buffalo fish

  • noun any of several large suckers of the Mississippi valley
    buffalofish.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), one of several large fresh-water fishes of the family Catostomidæ, of the Mississippi valley. The red-mouthed or brown (Ictiobus bubalus), the big-mouthed or black (Bubalichthys urus), and the small-mouthed (B. altus), are among the more important species used as food.
Webster 1913

bur fish

Bur" fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A spinose, plectognath fish of the Allantic coast of the United States (esp. Chilo mycterus geometricus) having the power of distending its body with water or air, so as to resemble a chestnut bur; -- called also ball fish, balloon fish, and swellfish.
Webster 1913

Butterfly fish

  • noun small usually brilliantly colored tropical marine fishes having narrow deep bodies with large broad fins; found worldwide
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), the ocellated blenny (Blennius ocellaris) of Europe. See Blenny. The term is also applied to the flying gurnard.
Webster 1913

carangid fish

  • noun a percoid fish of the family Carangidae
    carangid.
WordNet

cartilaginous fish

  • noun fishes in which the skeleton may be calcified but not ossified
    chondrichthian.
WordNet

characin fish

  • noun any freshwater fish of the family Characinidae
    characin; characid.
WordNet

cichlid fish

  • noun freshwater fishes of tropical America and Africa and Asia similar to American sunfishes; some are food fishes; many small ones are popular in aquariums
    cichlid.
WordNet

Cigar fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish (Decapterus punctatus), allied to the mackerel, found on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Webster 1913

clinid fish

  • noun mostly small blennioid fishes of coral reefs and seagrass beds
    clinid.
WordNet

clown anemone fish

  • noun an anemone fish of the genus Amphiprion
    Amphiprion percula.
WordNet

clupeid fish

  • noun any of numerous soft-finned schooling food fishes of shallow waters of northern seas
    clupeid.
WordNet

Cobbler fish

  • (Zoöl.), a marine fish (Blepharis crinitus) of the Atlantic. The name alludes to its threadlike fin rays.
Webster 1913

Coffer fish

  • . (Zoöl.) See Cowfish.
Webster 1913

cold fish

  • noun an aloof unemotional person
WordNet

convict fish

  • noun greenling with whitish body marked with black bands
    painted greenling; Oxylebius pictus; convictfish.
WordNet

Coral fish

  • . See in the Vocabulary.
Webster 1913

creole-fish

  • noun deep-sea fish of tropical Atlantic
    Paranthias furcifer.
WordNet

crucifix fish

  • noun sea catfish of the Caribbean area
WordNet

Cuckoo fish

  • (Zoöl.), the European red gurnard (Trigla cuculus). The name probably alludes to the sound that it utters.
Webster 1913

Cutlass fish

  • (Zoöl.), a peculiar, long, thin, marine fish (Trichirus lepturus) of the southern United States and West Indies; called also saber fish, silver eel, and, improperly, swordfish.
Webster 1913

cyprinid fish

  • noun soft-finned mainly freshwater fishes typically having toothless jaws and cycloid scales
    cyprinid.
WordNet

cypriniform fish

  • noun a soft-finned fish of the order Cypriniformes
WordNet

Date shell, ∨ Date fish

  • (Zoöl.), a bivalve shell, or its inhabitant, of the genus Pholas, and allied genera. See Pholas.
Webster 1913

Doctor fish

  • (Zoöl.), any fish of the genus Acanthurus; the surgeon fish; so called from a sharp lancetlike spine on each side of the tail. Also called barber fish. See Surgeon fish.
Webster 1913

doctor-fish

  • noun surgeon fish of the West Indies
    doctorfish; Acanthurus chirurgus.
WordNet

Dollar fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish of the United States coast (Stromateus triacanthus), having a flat, roundish form and a bright silvery luster; called also butterfish, and Lafayette. See Butterfish.
Webster 1913

Dragon fish

  • (Zoöl.), the dragonet.
Webster 1913

Electrical fish

  • (Zoöl.), any fish which has an electrical organ by means of which it can give an electrical shock. The best known kinds are the torpedo, the gymnotus, or electrical eel, and the electric cat. See Torpedo, and Gymnotus.
Webster 1913

Elephant fish

  • (Zoöl.), a chimæroid fish (Callorhynchus antarcticus), with a proboscis-like projection of the snout.
Webster 1913

Emerald fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish of the Gulf of Mexico (Gobionellus oceanicus), remarkable for the brilliant green and blue color of the base of the tongue; whence the name; called also esmeralda.
Webster 1913

Fiddle fish

  • (Zoöl.), the angel fish.
Webster 1913

Fighting fish

  • (Zoöl.), a remarkably pugnacious East Indian fish (Betta pugnax), reared by the Siamese for spectacular fish fights.
Webster 1913

Fish weir ∨ wear

  • a weir set in a stream, for catching fish.
Webster 1913

fish and chips

  • noun fried fish and french-fried potatoes
WordNet

Fish ball

  • noun well-seasoned balls of ground fish and eggs and crushed crumbs simmered in fish stock
    fish ball.
  • noun a fried ball or patty of flaked fish and mashed potatoes
    fish ball.
WordNet
  • fish (usually salted codfish) shared fine, mixed with mashed potato, and made into the form of a small, round cake. U.S.
Webster 1913

Fish bar

  • . Same as Fish plate (below).
Webster 1913

Fish beam

  • (Mech.), a beam one of whose sides (commonly the under one) swells out like the belly of a fish. Francis.
Webster 1913

fish bowl

  • noun a state of affairs in which you have no privacy
    goldfish bowl; fishbowl.
    • the president lives in a goldfish bowl
  • noun a transparent bowl in which small fish are kept
    fishbowl; goldfish bowl.
WordNet

fish cake

  • noun a fried ball or patty of flaked fish and mashed potatoes
    fish ball.
WordNet

fish chowder

  • noun chowder containing fish
WordNet

Fish crow

  • (Zoöl.), a species of crow (Corvus ossifragus), found on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It feeds largely on fish.
Webster 1913

Fish culture

  • the artifical breeding and rearing of fish; pisciculture.
Webster 1913

Fish davit

  • . See Davit.
Webster 1913

Fish day

  • a day on which fish is eaten; a fast day.
Webster 1913

fish doctor

  • noun brightly colored scaleless Arctic eelpout
    Gymnelis viridis.
WordNet

Fish duck

  • noun large crested fish-eating diving duck having a slender hooked bill with serrated edges
    merganser; sawbill; sheldrake.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any species of merganser.
Webster 1913

fish eagle

  • noun large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years
    fish eagle; osprey; sea eagle; Pandion haliaetus.
WordNet

Fish fall

  • the tackle depending from the fish davit, used in hauling up the anchor to the gunwale of a ship.
Webster 1913

fish family

  • noun any of various families of fish
WordNet

fish farm

  • noun a workplace (usually a pond) where fish are raised for food
WordNet

fish filet

  • noun a longitudinal slice or boned side of a fish
    fish filet; fillet; filet.
WordNet

fish fillet

  • noun a longitudinal slice or boned side of a fish
    fish filet; fillet; filet.
WordNet

fish finger

  • noun a long fillet of fish breaded and fried
    fish finger.
WordNet

fish fly

  • noun similar to but smaller than the dobsonfly; larvae are used as fishing bait
    fish fly.
WordNet

fish fry

  • noun a cookout where fried fish is the main course
WordNet

fish fuddle

  • noun small tree of West Indies and Florida having large odd-pinnate leaves and panicles of red-striped purple to white flowers followed by decorative curly winged seedpods; yields fish poisons
    Piscidia piscipula; Piscidia erythrina; Jamaica dogwood.
WordNet

Fish garth

  • a dam or weir in a river for keeping fish or taking them easily.
Webster 1913

fish genus

  • noun any of various genus of fish
WordNet

fish geranium

  • noun an upright geranium having scalloped leaves with a broad color zone inside the margin and white or pink or red flowers
    bedding geranium; zonal pelargonium; Pelargonium hortorum.
WordNet

Fish glue

  • noun gelatinous substance obtained by boiling skins fins and bones of fish
WordNet
  • . See Isinglass.
  • a strong kind of glue obtained from fish skins and bladders; isinglass.
Webster 1913

fish hawk

  • noun large harmless hawk found worldwide that feeds on fish and builds a bulky nest often occupied for years
    fish eagle; osprey; sea eagle; Pandion haliaetus.
WordNet

fish house punch

  • noun a punch made of rum and brandy and water or tea sweetened with sugar syrup
WordNet

Fish joint

  • noun a butt joint formed by bolting fish plates to the sides of two rails or beams
WordNet
  • a joint formed by a plate or pair of plates fastened upon two meeting beams, plates, etc., at their junction; used largely in connecting the rails of railroads.
Webster 1913

Fish kettle

  • a long kettle for boiling fish whole.
Webster 1913

fish knife

  • noun a small table knife with a spatula blade used for eating fish
WordNet

Fish ladder

  • noun a series of ascending pools providing a passage for salmon to swim upstream past a dam
WordNet
  • a dam with a series of steps which fish can leap in order to ascend falls in a river.
Webster 1913

Fish line, ∨ Fishing line

  • a line made of twisted hair, silk, etc., used in angling.
Webster 1913

fish loaf

  • noun flaked fish baked in a loaf with bread crumbs and various seasonings
WordNet

Fish louse

  • noun a kind of copepod
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any crustacean parasitic on fishes, esp. the parasitic Copepoda, belonging to Caligus, Argulus, and other related genera. See Branchiura.
Webster 1913

fish lure

  • noun (angling) any bright artificial bait consisting of plastic or metal mounted with hooks and trimmed with feathers
    fisherman's lure.
WordNet

Fish maw

  • (Zoöl.), the stomach of a fish; also, the air bladder, or sound.
Webster 1913

Fish meal

  • noun ground dried fish used as fertilizer and as feed for domestic livestock
WordNet
  • fish desiccated and ground fine, for use in soups, etc.
Webster 1913

fish mousse

  • noun mousse made with fish
WordNet

Fish oil

  • noun a fatty oil obtained from the livers of various fish
    fish oil.
WordNet
  • oil obtained from the bodies of fish and marine animals, as whales, seals, sharks, from cods' livers, etc.
Webster 1913

Fish owl

  • (Zoöl.), a fish-eating owl of the Old World genera Scotopelia and Ketupa, esp. a large East Indian species (K. Ceylonensis).
Webster 1913

Fish plate

  • one of the plates of a fish joint.
Webster 1913

Fish pot

  • a wicker basket, sunk, with a float attached, for catching crabs, lobsters, etc.
Webster 1913

Fish pound

  • a net attached to stakes, for entrapping and catching fish; a weir. Local, U.S. Bartlett.
Webster 1913

fish scale

  • noun scale of the kind that covers the bodies of fish
WordNet

Fish slice

  • noun a food turner with a broad blade used for turning or serving fish or other food that is cooked in a frying pan
WordNet
  • a broad knife for dividing fish at table; a fish trowel.
Webster 1913

Fish slide

  • an inclined box set in a stream at a small fall, or ripple, to catch fish descending the current. Knight.
Webster 1913

Fish sound

  • the air bladder of certain fishes, esp. those that are dried and used as food, or in the arts, as for the preparation of isinglass.
Webster 1913

fish species

  • noun a species of fish
WordNet

fish steak

  • noun cross-section slice of a large fish
WordNet

fish stew

  • noun a stew made with fish
WordNet

fish stick

  • noun a long fillet of fish breaded and fried
    fish finger.
WordNet

Fish story

  • a story which taxes credulity; an extravagant or incredible narration. Colloq. U.S. Bartlett.
Webster 1913

Fish strainer

  • . (a) A metal colander, with handles, for taking fish from a boiler. (b) A perforated earthenware slab at the bottom of a dish, to drain the water from a boiled fish.
Webster 1913

fish tank

  • noun a tank or pool or bowl filled with water for keeping live fish and underwater animals
    marine museum; aquarium.
WordNet

Fish trowel

  • a fish slice.
Webster 1913

fish-bellied

Fish"-bel`lied adjective
Definitions
  1. Bellying or swelling out on the under side; as, a fish-bellied rail. Knight.
Webster 1913

fish-block

Fish"-block` noun
Definitions
  1. See Fish-tackle.
Webster 1913

fish-fly

  • noun similar to but smaller than the dobsonfly; larvae are used as fishing bait
    fish fly.
WordNet

fish-liver oil

  • noun a fatty oil obtained from the livers of various fish
    fish oil.
WordNet

fish-tackle

Fish"-tac`kle noun
Definitions
  1. A tackle or purchase used to raise the flukes of the anchor up to the gunwale. The block used is called the fish-block.
Webster 1913

fish-tail

Fish"-tail` adjective
Definitions
  1. Like the of a fish; acting, or producing something, like the tail of a fish.
Webster 1913

fish-worship

  • noun the worship of fish
    ichthyolatry.
WordNet

fishing boat

  • noun a vessel for fishing; often has a well to keep the catch alive
    fishing smack; fishing boat.
WordNet

fishing eagle

  • noun of southeast Europe and central Asia
    Haliaeetus leucorhyphus.
WordNet

fishing expedition

  • noun an investigation undertaken in the hope (but not the stated purpose) of discovering information
WordNet

fishing gear

  • noun gear used in fishing
    fishing gear; tackle; fishing rig; rig.
WordNet

fishing licence

  • noun a license authorizing the bearer to fish during a specified period of time
    fishing license; fishing licence.
WordNet

fishing license

  • noun a license authorizing the bearer to fish during a specified period of time
    fishing license; fishing licence.
WordNet

fishing line

  • noun a length of cord to which the leader and float and sinker and hook are attached
WordNet

fishing net

  • noun a net that will enclose fish when it is pulled in
    fishnet.
WordNet

fishing permit

  • noun a license authorizing the bearer to fish during a specified period of time
    fishing license; fishing licence.
WordNet

fishing pole

  • noun a rod of wood or steel or fiberglass that is used in fishing to extend the fishing line
    fishing pole.
WordNet

fishing rig

  • noun gear used in fishing
    fishing gear; tackle; fishing rig; rig.
WordNet

fishing rod

  • noun a rod of wood or steel or fiberglass that is used in fishing to extend the fishing line
    fishing pole.
WordNet

fishing season

  • noun the season during which it is legal to catch fish
WordNet

fishing smack

  • noun a vessel for fishing; often has a well to keep the catch alive
    fishing smack; fishing boat.
WordNet

fishing tackle

  • noun gear used in fishing
    fishing gear; tackle; fishing rig; rig.
WordNet

fishing vessel

  • noun a vessel for fishing; often has a well to keep the catch alive
    fishing smack; fishing boat.
WordNet

fishing worm

  • noun terrestrial worm that burrows into and helps aerate soil; often surfaces when the ground is cool or wet; used as bait by anglers
    earthworm; angleworm; dew worm; fishworm; wiggler; nightwalker; red worm; nightcrawler; crawler.
WordNet

flame fish

  • noun a cardinalfish found in tropical Atlantic coastal waters
    flamefish; Apogon maculatus.
WordNet

flashlight fish

  • noun fish of deep dark waters having a light organ below each eye
    Photoblepharon palpebratus.
  • noun fish having a luminous organ beneath eye; of warm waters of the western Pacific and Puerto Rico
    anomalops.
WordNet

Fly fishing

  • the act or art of angling with a bait of natural or artificial flies. Walton.
Webster 1913

fly-fish

  • verb fish with flies as lures
    fly-fish; flyfish.
WordNet
Fly"-fish intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To angle, using flies for bait. Walton.
Webster 1913

fly-fishing

  • noun angling with an artificial fly as a lure
  • verb fish with flies as lures
    fly-fish; flyfish.
WordNet

Flying fish

  • noun tropical marine fishes having enlarged winglike fins used for brief gliding flight
WordNet
  • . (Zoöl.) See Flying fish, in the Vocabulary.
Webster 1913

food fish

  • noun any fish used for food by human beings
WordNet

four-wing flying fish

  • noun having both pectoral and pelvic fins enlarged
    biplane flying fish.
WordNet

fresh fish

  • noun soldiers who are regarded as expendable in the face of artillery fire
    fodder; cannon fodder.
WordNet

freshwater fish

  • noun flesh of fish from fresh water used as food
WordNet

frost fish

  • noun long-bodied marine fishes having a long whiplike scaleless body and sharp teeth; closely related to snake mackerel
    hairtail; cutlassfish.
WordNet

gadoid fish

  • noun a soft-finned fish of the family Gadidae
    gadoid.
WordNet

game fish

  • noun any fish providing sport for the angler
    game fish.
WordNet

ganoid fish

  • noun primitive fishes having thick bony scales with a shiny covering
    ganoid.
WordNet

Garter fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish of the genus Lepidopus, having a long, flat body, like the blade of a sword; the scabbard fish.
Webster 1913

gefilte fish

  • noun well-seasoned balls of ground fish and eggs and crushed crumbs simmered in fish stock
    fish ball.
WordNet

go fish

  • noun a card game for two players who try to assemble books of cards by asking the opponent for particular cards
WordNet

Ground fish

  • (Zoöl.), any fish which constantly lives on the botton of the sea, as the sole, turbot, halibut.
Webster 1913

half-fish

Half"-fish` noun
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A salmon in its fifth year of growth. Prov. Eng.
Webster 1913

Hammer fish

  • . See Hammerhead.
Webster 1913

handsaw fish

  • noun a soft-finned fish of the genus Alepisaurus
WordNet

Harvest fish

  • (Zoöl.), a marine fish of the Southern United States (Stromateus alepidotus); called whiting in Virginia. Also applied to the dollar fish.
Webster 1913

Hedgehog fish

  • (Zoöl.), any spinose plectognath fish, esp. of the genus Diodon; the porcupine fish.
Webster 1913

jackknife-fish

  • noun black-and-white drumfish with an erect elongated dorsal fin
    Equetus lanceolatus.
WordNet

jawless fish

  • noun eel-shaped vertebrate without jaws or paired appendages including the cyclostomes and some extinct forms
    jawless vertebrate; agnathan.
WordNet

kettle of fish

  • noun informal terms for a difficult situation
    mess; fix; muddle; jam; hole; pickle.
    • he got into a terrible fix
    • he made a muddle of his marriage
WordNet

lance fish

Lance" fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A slender marine fish of the genus Ammodytes, especially Ammodytes tobianus of the English coast; -- called also sand lance.
Webster 1913

Lancet fish

  • noun large elongate scaleless oceanic fishes with sharp teeth and a long dorsal fin that resembles a sail
    wolffish; lancetfish.
WordNet
  • . (Zoöl.) (a) A large, voracious, deep-sea fish (Alepidosaurus ferox), having long, sharp, lancetlike teeth . (b) The doctor, or surgeon fish.
Webster 1913

Land fish

  • a fish on land; a person quite out of place. Shak.
Webster 1913

Lizard fish

  • (Zoöl.), a marine scopeloid fish of the genus Synodus, or Saurus, esp. S. foetens of the Southern United States and West Indies; called also sand pike.
Webster 1913

lobe-finned fish

  • noun any fish of the order Crossopterygii; most known only in fossil form
    crossopterygian; lobefin.
WordNet

lookdown fish

  • noun similar to moonfish but with eyes high on the truncated forehead
    Selene vomer; lookdown.
WordNet

Mango fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish of the Ganges (Polynemus risua), highly esteemed for food. It has several long, slender filaments below the pectoral fins. It appears about the same time with the mango fruit, in April and May, whence the name.
Webster 1913

margate fish

Mar"gate fish"
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A sparoid fish (Diabasis aurolineatus) of the Gulf of Mexico, esteemed as a food fish; -- called also red-mouth grunt.
Webster 1913

may fish

  • noun black-barred fish of bays and coastal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the United States
    Fundulus majalis; striped killifish; mayfish.
WordNet

Mermaid fish

  • (Zoöl.) the angel fish (Squatina).
Webster 1913

monoplane flying fish

  • noun having only pectoral fins enlarged
    monoplane flying fish.
WordNet

Musical fish

  • (Zoöl.), any fish which utters sounds under water, as the drumfish, grunt, gizzard shad, etc.
Webster 1913

Mutton fish

  • (Zoöl.), the American eelpout. See Eelpout.
Webster 1913

Neither fish nor flesh

  • (Fig.), neither one thing nor the other.
Webster 1913

net fish

  • verb fish with nets
WordNet

odd fish

  • noun someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group
    kook; queer duck; odd man out; queer bird; odd fellow.
WordNet

Onion fish

  • (Zoöl.), the grenadier.
Webster 1913

Organ fish

  • (Zoöl.), the drumfish.
Webster 1913

Oyster fish

  • noun a variety of toadfish
    oysterfish; oyster fish.
WordNet
  • . (Zoöl.) (a) The tautog. (b) The toadfish.
Webster 1913

oyster-fish

  • noun a variety of toadfish
    oysterfish; oyster fish.
WordNet

Paradise fish

  • (Zoöl.), a beautiful fresh-water Asiatic fish (Macropodus viridiauratus) having very large fins. It is often kept alive as an ornamental fish.
Webster 1913

Parrot wrasse, Parrot fish

  • (Zoöl.), any fish of the genus Scarus. One species (S. Cretensis), found in the Mediterranean, is esteemed by epicures, and was highly prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Webster 1913

Peacock fish

  • (Zoöl.), the European blue-striped wrasse (Labrus variegatus); so called on account of its brilliant colors. Called also cook wrasse and cook.
Webster 1913

pearl-fish

  • noun found living within the alimentary canals of e.g. sea cucumbers or between the shells of pearl oysters in or near shallow seagrass beds
    pearlfish.
WordNet

Pelican fish

  • (Zoöl.), deep-sea fish (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) of the order Lyomeri, remarkable for the enormous development of the jaws, which support a large gular pouch.
Webster 1913

percoid fish

  • noun any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformes
    percoidean; percoid.
WordNet

Peter's fish

  • (Zoöl.), a haddock; so called because the black spots, one on each side, behind the gills, are traditionally said to have been caused by the fingers of St. Peter, when he caught the fish to pay the tribute. The name is applied, also, to other fishes having similar spots.
Webster 1913

Pilot fish

  • . (Zoöl) (a) A pelagic carangoid fish (Naucrates ductor); so named because it is often seen in company with a shark, swimming near a ship, on account of which sailors imagine that it acts as a pilot to the shark . (b) The rudder fish (Seriola zonata).
Webster 1913

pisces the fishes

  • noun the twelfth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about February 19 to March 20
    Pisces; Fish.
WordNet

plectognath fish

  • noun tropical marine fishes having the teeth fused into a beak and thick skin covered with bony plates or spines
    plectognath.
WordNet

poeciliid fish

  • noun small usually brightly-colored viviparous surface-feeding fishes of fresh or brackish warm waters; often used in mosquito control
    live-bearer; topminnow; poeciliid.
WordNet

polly fish

  • noun gaudy tropical fishes with parrotlike beaks formed by fusion of teeth
    pollyfish; parrotfish.
WordNet

poor fish

  • noun a person who is not very bright
    pillock; dullard; pudding head; stupe; stupid; pudden-head; stupid person; dolt.
    • The economy, stupid!
WordNet

Porcupine fish

  • noun spines become erect when the body is inflated; worldwide in warm waters
    Diodon hystrix; porcupinefish.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any plectognath fish having the body covered with spines which become erect when the body is inflated. See Diodon, and Globefish.
Webster 1913

pork-fish

  • noun black and gold grunt found from Bermuda to Caribbean to Brazil
    Anisotremus virginicus; porkfish.
WordNet

rainbow fish

  • noun small freshwater fish of South America and the West Indies; often kept in aquariums
    Lebistes reticulatus; guppy.
WordNet

Rapier fish

  • (Zoöl.), the swordfish. Obs.
Webster 1913

rattail fish

  • noun deep-sea fish with a large head and body and long tapering tail
    rattail; grenadier.
WordNet

Razor fish

  • noun any of several small wrasses with compressed sharp-edged heads of the West Indies and Mediterranean
    razor fish.
WordNet
  • . (Zoöl.) (a) A small Mediterranean fish (Coryphæna novacula), prized for the table . (b) The razor shell.
Webster 1913

razor-fish

  • noun any of several small wrasses with compressed sharp-edged heads of the West Indies and Mediterranean
    razor fish.
WordNet

Ribbon fish

  • . (Zoöl.) (a) Any elongated, compressed, ribbon-shaped marine fish of the family Trachypteridæ, especially the species of the genus Trachypterus, and the oarfish (Regelecus Banksii) of the North Atlantic, which is sometimes over twenty feet long . (b) The hairtail, or bladefish . (c) A small compressed marine fish of the genus Cepola, having a long, slender, tapering tail. The European species (C. rubescens) is light red throughout. Called also band fish.
Webster 1913

rough fish

  • noun any fish useless for food or sport or even as bait
WordNet

Rudder fish

  • . (Zoöl.) (a) The pilot fish . (b) The amber fish (Seriola zonata), which is bluish having six broad black bands . (c) A plain greenish black American fish (Leirus perciformis); called also black rudder fish, logfish, and barrel fish. The name is also applied to other fishes which follow vessels.
Webster 1913

Saber fish, ∨ Sabre fish

  • (Zoöl.), the cutlass fish.
Webster 1913

Sacred fish

  • (Zoöl.), any one of fresh-water African fishes of the family Mormyridæ. Several large species inhabit the Nile and were considered sacred by the ancient Egyptians; especially Mormyris oxyrhynchus.
Webster 1913

Saint Peter's fish

  • . (Zoöl.) See John Dory, under John.
Webster 1913

Salt fish

  • . (a) Salted fish, especially cod, haddock, and similar fishes that have been salted and dried for food. (b) A marine fish.
Webster 1913

saltwater fish

  • noun flesh of fish from the sea used as food
WordNet

sargassum fish

  • noun small fantastically formed and colored fishes found among masses of sargassum
WordNet

Scabbard fish

  • (Zoöl.), a long, compressed, silver-colored tænioid fish (Lepidopus caudatus, ∨ argyreus), found on the European coasts, and more abundantly about New Zealand, where it is called frostfish and considered an excellent food fish.
Webster 1913

Scarlet fish

  • (Zoöl.), the telescope fish; so called from its red color. See under Telescope.
Webster 1913

sciaenid fish

  • noun widely distributed family of carnivorous percoid fishes having a large air bladder used to produce sound
    sciaenid.
WordNet

scombroid fish

  • noun important marine food and game fishes found in all tropical and temperate seas; some are at least partially endothermic and can thrive in colder waters
    scombroid.
WordNet

scorpaenid fish

  • noun any of numerous carnivorous usually bottom-dwelling warm-water marine fishes found worldwide but most abundant in the Pacific
    scorpaenid.
WordNet

scorpaenoid fish

  • noun fishes having the head armored with bony plates
    scorpaenoid.
WordNet

scorpion fish

  • noun marine fishes having a tapering body with an armored head and venomous spines
    scorpionfish; sea scorpion.
WordNet

Sea woodcock fish

  • the bellows fish.
Webster 1913

sergeant fish

  • noun large dark-striped tropical food and game fish related to remoras; found worldwide in coastal to open waters
    Rachycentron canadum; cobia.
WordNet

Serpent fish

  • (Zoöl.), a fish (Cepola rubescens) with a long, thin, compressed body, and a band of red running lengthwise.
Webster 1913

serranid fish

  • noun marine food sport fishes mainly of warm coastal waters
    serranid.
WordNet

shrimp-fish

  • noun slender tropical shallow-water East Indian fish covered with transparent plates
    shrimpfish.
WordNet

silurid fish

  • noun Old World freshwater catfishes having naked skin and a long anal fin more or less merged with the eellike caudal fin
    silurid.
WordNet

siluriform fish

  • noun any of numerous mostly freshwater bottom-living fishes of Eurasia and North America with barbels like whiskers around the mouth
    catfish.
WordNet

Singing fish

  • (Zoöl.), a California toadfish (Porichthys porosissimus).
Webster 1913

skillet fish

  • noun clingfish with typical skillet shape
    Gobiesox strumosus; skilletfish.
WordNet

snake-fish

  • noun tropical fishes with large mouths in lizard-like heads; found worldwide
    lizardfish; snakefish.
WordNet

soft-finned fish

  • noun any fish of the superorder Malacopterygii
    malacopterygian.
WordNet

Soldier fish

  • (Zoöl.), a bright-colored etheostomoid fish (Etheostoma coeruleum) found in the Mississippi River; called also blue darter, and rainbow darter.
Webster 1913

soldier-fish

  • noun the larger squirrelfishes
    soldierfish.
WordNet

sparid fish

  • noun spiny-finned food fishes of warm waters having well-developed teeth
    sparid.
WordNet

spillet fishing

Spil"let fish`ing, Spil"liard fish`ing (Also<
  • Spillet fishing
  • Spilliard fishing
)
Definitions
  1. A system or method of fishing by means of a number of hooks set on snoods all on one line; -- in North America, called trawl fishing, bultow, or bultow fishing, and long-line fishing.
Webster 1913

spiny-finned fish

  • noun a teleost fish with fins that are supported by sharp inflexible rays
    acanthopterygian.
WordNet

sport fish

  • noun any fish providing sport for the angler
    game fish.
WordNet

Squirrel fish

  • (Zoöl.) (a) A sea bass (Serranus fascicularis) of the Southern United States . (b) The sailor's choice (Diplodus rhomboides) . (c) The redmouth, or grunt . (d) A market fish of Bermuda (Holocentrum Ascensione).
Webster 1913

still-fish

  • verb fish with the line and bait resting still or stationary in the water
WordNet

Strawberry fish

  • (Zoöl.), the amadavat.
Webster 1913

stromateid fish

  • noun small marine fish with a short compressed body and feeble spines
    stromateid; butterfish.
WordNet

Sucker fish

  • . See Sucking fish, under Sucking.
Webster 1913

Sucking fish

  • noun marine fishes with a flattened elongated body and a sucking disk on the head for attaching to large fish or moving objects
    suckerfish; remora.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), the remora. See Remora. Baird.
Webster 1913

suleah fish

Su"le*ah fish`
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) A coarse fish of India, used in making a breakfast relish called burtah.
Webster 1913

Surf fish

  • noun a fish of the Pacific coast of North America
    surffish; yellowfin croaker; Umbrina roncador.
  • noun small to medium-sized shallow-water fishes of the Pacific coast of North America
    surfperch; surffish.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of California embiotocoid fishes. See Embiotocoid.
Webster 1913

surf fishing

  • noun casting (artificial) bait far out into the ocean (up to 200 yards) with the waves breaking around you
    surf casting.
WordNet

Surgeon fish

  • . See def. 2, above.
Webster 1913

Tadpole fish

  • . (Zoöl.) See Forkbeard (a).
Webster 1913

Tamarind fish

  • a preparation of a variety of East Indian fish with the acid pulp of the tamarind fruit.
Webster 1913

teleost fish

  • noun a bony fish of the subclass Teleostei
    teleost; teleostan.
WordNet

Telescope fish

  • (Zoöl.), a monstrous variety of the goldfish having very protuberant eyes.
Webster 1913

thread-fish

  • noun fish having greatly elongated front rays on dorsal and anal fins
    threadfish; Alectis ciliaris.
WordNet

To fish the anchor

  • to hoist the flukes to their resting place (called the bill-boards), and pass the shank painter.
Webster 1913

Tobacco-pipe fish

  • . (Zoöl.) See Pipemouth.
Webster 1913

tobias fish

To*bi"as fish`
Etymology
See the Note under Asmodeus, in the Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The lant, or sand eel.
Webster 1913

tongue-fish

  • noun left-eyed marine flatfish whose tail tapers to a point; of little commercial value
    tonguefish.
WordNet

Tree fish

  • (Zoöl.), a California market fish (Sebastichthys serriceps).
Webster 1913

Trigger fish

  • (Zoöl.), a large plectognath fish (Balistes Carolinensis or B. capriscus) common on the southern coast of the United States, and valued as a food fish in some localities. Its rough skin is used for scouring and polishing in the place of sandpaper. Called also leather jacket, and turbot.
Webster 1913

Trumpet fish

  • . (Zoöl.) (a) The bellows fish. (b) The fistularia.
Webster 1913

tuna fish

  • noun important warm-water fatty fish of the genus Thunnus of the family Scombridae; usually served as steaks
    tuna; tunny.
WordNet

tuna fish salad

  • noun salad composed primarily of chopped canned tuna fish
    tuna salad.
WordNet

two-wing flying fish

  • noun having only pectoral fins enlarged
    monoplane flying fish.
WordNet

Unicorn fish, Unicorn whale

  • (Zoöl.), the narwhal.
Webster 1913

united states fish and wildlife service

  • noun an agency in the Department of the Interior that conserves and protects fish and wildlife and their habitats; assesses the environmental impact of pesticides and nuclear power site and hydroelectric dams and thermal pollution
    United States Fish and Wildlife Service; FWS.
WordNet

Urchin fish

  • (Zoöl.), a diodon.
Webster 1913

us fish and wildlife service

  • noun an agency in the Department of the Interior that conserves and protects fish and wildlife and their habitats; assesses the environmental impact of pesticides and nuclear power site and hydroelectric dams and thermal pollution
    United States Fish and Wildlife Service; FWS.
WordNet

Viper fish

  • (Zoöl.), a small, slender, phosphorescent deep-sea fish (Chauliodus Sloanii). It has long ventral and dorsal fins, a large mouth, and very long, sharp teeth.
Webster 1913

Viviparous fish

  • . (Zoöl.) See Embiotocoid.
Webster 1913

Walking fish

  • (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of Asiatic fishes of the genus Ophiocephalus, some of which, as O. marulius, become over four feet long. They have a special cavity over the gills lined with a membrane adapted to retain moisture to aid in respiration, and are thus able to travel considerable distances over the land at night, whence the name. They construct a curious nest for their young. Called also langya.
Webster 1913

Wolf fish

  • noun large ferocious northern deep-sea food fishes with strong teeth and no pelvic fins
    catfish; wolffish.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), any one of several species of large, voracious marine fishes of the genus Anarrhichas, especially the common species (A. lupus) of Europe and North America. These fishes have large teeth and powerful jaws. Called also catfish, sea cat, sea wolf, stone biter, and swinefish.
Webster 1913

worm fish

  • noun poorly known family of small tropical shallow-water fishes related to gobies
WordNet

young fish

  • noun a fish that is young
WordNet