Smell something fishy

Meaning

Detect that something isn’t as it should be.

Examples

He’s always hanging around outside the women’s dorm with a camera. It looks a bit fishy to me.

Where did it originate?

Britain, 19th century. Deriving from an allusion to things that are ‘as slippery as a fish’.

Where is it used?

Mostly Britain.

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Smell something fishy