Something fishy about fishy..

Good on you for avoiding the killing of fish for the purpose of eating. Yes, we do refer to something questionable or suspicious as being "fishy". This term refers more to the act of fishing than it does fish. If something is suspicious, it doesn't necessarily mean it is immediately condemnable. We therefore need to fish around a bit more to determine the truth of the matter. It is better to cast doubt on what you believe you are seeing / hearing / thinking / feeling & call it fishy, because something just doesn't add up than to immediately come to the wrong conclusion just because you don't have the full picture. You are right. English is a funny language, loaded with paradoxes. Here are some more: We park in a driveway & drive on a parkway. We recite at a play & play at a recital. We ship by truck & send cargo by ship. We have noses that run & feet that smell. Quicksand works slowly Boxing rings are square Public bathrooms have no baths A guinea pig is neither a pig nor from Guinea. Why is it that a writer writes, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, humdingers don't hum & hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural or booth be beeth? One goose, two geese - so one moose, two meese? One index, two indicies - one Kleenex, two Kleenices? One can make amends, but not just one amend. We can comb through the annals of history, but not just one annal. If I have a heap of odds & ends, & I get rid of all but one, what do I call it? If a teacher taught, shouldn't a preacher have praught? If a horsehair mat is made from the hair of horses & a camelhair coat made from the hair of camels, from what is a mohair coat made? How can a slim chance & a fat chance be the same, while a wise man & a wise guy are opposites? How can "overlook" & "oversee" be opposites, while "quite a lot" & "quite a few" are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day & cold as hell the next? Do you find that we talk about certain things only when they are absent? Have you ever seen a horseful carriage or a strapful gown, met a sung hero or experienced requited love? Have you ever met someone who was combobulated, gruntled, ruly or peccable? Where are those people who are spring chickens or who actually would hurt a fly? I've met people who can cut the mustard & whom I would touch with a ten-foot pole, but I can't discuss them in English! There's something of a unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill out a form by filling it in & which your alarm clock goes off by going on. When the stars come out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible. When I wind up my watch I start it, but when I wind up this posting I end it! That was by Richard Lederer. George Carlin writes: We now have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete... Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.. Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away..."

Vandanaji I agree english is real funny language, it is difficult too, well i left eating fish long ago though the river Mahanadi is just half a kilometers from my home and Hirakud dam is 10 kilometers, fresh fish costs 200 rupees a kilogram. Why i left is simple, i ate 3 pieces of fried fish, i had to scratch my entire body for whole night, i was admitted in hospital. The reasons could not be known, but i think it had some link with fish.. Thanks for sharing God bless you, have a nice day ahead. Professor ‘Bhuwan’. .

hi vandana I always wondered why we say something is fishy? maybe its because here in the US so many Anmericans buy the stale fish that is starting to emit ammonia fumes from being too long in getting to the stores.hence people think that fish bought from the supermarket after being in transit from the source to the wholesaler to the supermarket are supposed to smell like ammonia. they have not tasted fresh fish that have no odor at all. so when we say fishy we mean something stinks.lol lol yes our American English is truly an odd language. for example a police officer might say of a fellow officer he always has to hotdog it, meaning the other officer is a show off and takes too many chances. I have always wonder why the use of hotdog as to most Amnerican that means a weiner or frankforter. so fish from most supermarkets is not that delicious but go down to Newport beach and buy fresh fisher from Fisherman's dory as they go out early each morning and catch a lot of choice fist and sell them that same morning. their prices are most reasonable and they are really good and good for you. o

I don't at fish, ma.

Hi Vandanaji Many people are still unsure if that dish is Vegetarian or a Non-Vegetarian... as they are unaware of the word - Pescetarian And they put the blame on the FISH... poor fish... I love you anyway you come to me

Well, since fish smells different, it is used in that one liner. When we say "i smell something fishy", it means we are noticing something that is not in conformity with the usual norm of living.

Well... I think most languages have this, at least the languages I know. People do like make expressions from analogies but also from antonyms, that is why you can end with an expression that has two contradictory meanings. In spanish you can even find words that means the opposite in America than in Spain...

It's the smell of rotting fish which gave rise to the expression, which, in full, is "I smell something fishy." One can't just cover up a decaying fish; the smell is so pervasive & vile it's bound to be noticed, eventually. As for the oddities of English, you are 100% correct. As a tutor of ESL, I can fully vouch for your justified confusion! Maggiepie "English doesn't borrow from other languages. It follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over & goes through their pockets for loose grammar." ~ Seen on a t-shirt (source unknown)

hi Vandana madam. Your discussions are some what different when understanding,i do not have that much stuff with me,when you are not killing how can you cook fish for us and ,so when you will invite us to come over to your house to eat some thing other than non vegetarian,now how is your father,have a nice day

because of its smells..but then the heck i also do not know. And i don't like fish that much. i am picky on fishes.

ha ha ha you are funny, v! well, i guess fishy is an idiom that connotes something is not good or is under suspicion. i think it was chosen not because of the fish's taste but its smell when it gets rotten or is stale. it is the same thing when something evil or bad is being hidden, it smells, too.

I smell a rat! You say you do not like fish but you know how to cook!Anyway fish is my cup of tea. We can't catch those who pushed it down our throat - no I don't mean the fish - I mean the English language with all the complications. But don't you think other languages have their own story to tell? Now they say Rome was not built in a day, as though all other cities were.My brain is getting over taxed. Let me call it a day here and see what other users have to say!

Ha ha ha, you are more concern on the why and how. While I am more concern on the what and when. I like to eat fish and don't look at me as fishy... See, I don't know the why and how...

The smell associated with fish could be the reason. One can tell that a person has eaten fish by shaking his hands. The smell is not pleasant at all. The smell gives you away. So when something does not meet the eye or simply put is arousing doubts then one says something is fishy here. English is a funny language , no doubt but a lovely language , nevertheless.

When fish is fresh, it shouldn't have that "fishy" taste, tho some fish are "fishier" than others. When things are "fishy" that means they are no longer "right". So, when a fish is "fishy" it often means it is no longer fresh and therefor no longer safe to eat. And it means when something "smells fishy" or "seems fishy" or "looks fishy" it means that there is something wrong about it and it probably isn't safe. And English has a terrible habit in its slang of saying one thing and meaning the exact opposite. So, "fat chance" and "slim chance" do mean the same thing. I once had a shirt that this gal just LOVED and she told me "That shirt is so BAD I just want to rip it off you and wear it!" I knew she really liked it!

Because when it starts getting a little ripe, it smells bad... But I'm sure you have your funny expressions too.

Hi. vandana7. I think it is called fishy because of the fishy smell that radiates from the fish. That is my only analysis of why fish is said to to be fishy. Fishy can be peculiar and strange. That is why fish is connected to the bad smell of fish.

I think so, because personally I don't like to eat fish too. Maybe I can't stand that fishy taste. Recently, I found that nemo taste better than shark, do you believe? Whoa! I like fish now.... I've try to see thing in different angle. Why not you give it a shot? Tell me later wo kay! See ya!

I agree that it's a bit unfair to fish, that they be associated with something negative. Specially considering how good they are supposed to be for health. But I guess if something like that stinks as much when left exposed, they become so memorable that it's the first thing people remember when something reeks of stench when it's exposed. Yes, English words can sometimes be funny.

according to an indiatimes page (hey, i'm not from india): the term "fishy" is thought to have arisen from the notion "as slippery as a fish". or as allusion to meat with a "fishy" taste, meaning the meat is bad. a simpler explanation is that old fish (not good to eat) smells fishy with bad odour... i eat fish. and i eat meat too. oh, and vegetables as well. =)