Drink Like a Fish

Meaning of Idiom ‘Drink Like a Fish’

To drink like a fish means to drink large amounts of alcohol; to drink too much alcohol, especially habitually.

Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel!

Usage

This expression usually refers to someone who habitually consumes excessive amounts of alcohol, but it can also be used to describe a single occasion of drinking.

Examples of Use

“Ted drinks like a fish most nights but you’d never know when he comes to work. He always seems completely sober and he never even has a hangover.”

“Oh, my head is killing me,” said Vicky. “I drank like a fish at my sister’s party last night.”

Origin

Used in print as early as the mid-1600’s, this idiom alludes to the way fish swim through the water with their mouths open in order to obtain oxygen, making them appear to be constantly drinking water.

More Idioms Starting with D

• Drive Someone Up the Wall
• Drive Into
• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Desk Jockey
• Days Of Yore

More Alcohol Related Idioms

• Half in the Bag
• Hit the Bottle
• Go Cold Turkey
• Fall Off the Wagon
• Bottoms Up

More Animal Related Idioms

• Copycat
• Scaredy-Cat
• Play Cat and Mouse
• Look What the Cat Dragged In
• Down the Rabbit Hole
• Beat a Dead Horse

More Drink Idioms

• I Could Murder (A Food/Drink)
• Drink the Kool Aid

More Fish Idioms

• Fish Out of Water
• Fish Story
• Not the Only Fish in the Sea
• Big Fish in a Small Pond, a
• Fish Or Cut Bait

More Like Idioms

• Like Herding Cats
• Like Nobody’s Business
• Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand
• Watch Like a Hawk

This page contains one or more affiliate links. See full affiliate disclosure.