drink like a fish

D

drink like a fish

Meaning

• this phrase means to drink heavily, which becomes worrisome
• it refers to alcoholic drinks more than non-alcoholic drinks but can be used for both

Example Sentences

1. At any party that he goes, he drinks like a fish. His wife ought to control this if she can.
2. Pass that bottle to me, I can drink this like a fish because it is my favourite drink.
3. Drink like a fish today since he has never been known to give a treat before this.
4. At weddings people look for no excuses to drink like fishes.

Origin

The phrase originates from the closeness that fishes share with water and is meant to depict a lot of something since a fish can drink a lot water while being encompassed by it. The phrase originates in 1640 in the literary work of Fletcher and Shirley in the book titled ‘The night walker, or the little thiefe’. This was made popular in 2005 by a biological brewery in China who claimed that their fermentation was so good that they could turn fish into wine.

Fishes stay in water hence to drink it, availability or capacity is not an issue. This is also reflected by the phrase.