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Drink Like a Fish (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Drink Like a Fish"?
The term "drink like a fish" means to drink alcoholic beverages to excess.
Examples of Use:
- John is "tea total" these days, but he used to drink like fish. (To be "tea total" means to abstain from alcohol.)
- I keep fit, I work out, I eat pretty well, and I don't drink like a fish. I respect the vehicle I'm walking around in. (Musician Mick Fleetwood)
- Drink like a fish only if you drink what a fish drinks. (In the saying "drink like a fish," it is implicit that the drink is alcoholic. Therefore, this is advice to not drink like a fish.)
"To drink like a fish" has been in use since at least 1640, when it appeared in Fletcher and Shirley's "The Night-walker":
- "Give me the bottle, I can drink like a Fish now, like an Elephant."
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