Meaning of Idiom ‘Cold Fish’
A cold fish is a person who shows no emotion; dull and unresponsive; unfeeling, hard-hearted; unsympathetic. 1Spears, Richard A. McGraw-Hill’s Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions. McGraw-Hill, 2007.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,3Jarvie, Gordon. Bloomsbury Dictionary of Idioms. London: Bloomsbury, 2009.
Sentence Examples
“When I first met my boss I thought he was a real cold fish but once I got to know him I realized he was just a quiet person.”
“He didn’t even seem bothered when his mother died. He’s a real cold fish.”
“Sure, he’s a bit of a cold fish, but he’s not violent,” the witness told the police.
“What you in here for?” “Didn’t do it. Lawyer fucked me.” “Rumor has it you’re a real cold fish.” — The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
“Jessica’s anything but a cold fish, all right? She’s the most amazing girl in the whole world.” — The Hot Chick (2002)
“Cold fish, your third ex-wife. She never would have made a good mother.” — Deconstructing Harry (1998)
“That Nicole`s always been a cold fish, though.” — Diabolique (1996)
“You are one cold fish, General.” “That’s the way the country likes it. That’s how we win wars.” — Scorched (2003)
Origin
This idiom was used by Shakespeare in The Winter’s Tale (4:4):
It was thought she was a woman, and was turn’d into a cold fish.”
It entered more widespread use during the first half of the 1900s. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
