hook, line, and sinker

H

hook, line, and sinker

Meaning

• used to highlight the fact that a person has been utterly deceived or fooled.

The phrase “hook, line, and sinker” is used as an idiom to mean that someone has been completely and unquestionably fooled or deceived.

Example Sentences

• I can’t believe she fell for that prank hook, line, and sinker.
• The salesman was very persuasive, and I fell for his pitch hook, line, and sinker.
• He pretended to be someone else online, and she fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
• The politician’s promises were so appealing that many people believed them hook, line, and sinker, but later found out they were empty words.

Origin

The phrase “hook, line, and sinker” is a fishing metaphor that originated in the 19th century. The phrase refers to the act of catching a fish with all three components of the fishing tackle: the hook, which is used to catch the fish; the line, which is used to reel the fish in; and the sinker, which is used to weigh down the bait and keep the hook submerged in the water.

The phrase was first used in print in the United States in the mid-1800s.

Fish, Fool