wet fish

wet fish
 n.— «Both fish reside in the middle-water column of the ocean, causing those in the fishing industry to refer to them as “wet fish.” This means that a lot of water must be pulled into boats when scooping them in from the sea and subsequently expelled when the boats drain their haul.» —“Sardines re-emergence in the Monterey Bay” by Melissa Schilling Santa Cruz Sentinel (California) Mar. 26, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

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Further reading

Lovely Sea-Guest Poem

Our discussion of Anglo-Saxon kennings inspired listener Paul Holler of Arlington Heights, Illinois, to write a lovely poem exploring the idea of the kenning sea-guest, meaning “sailor,” and what it means to be a guest of the sea and what that says...

Tip of the Iceberg (episode #1677)

Why does the term vegetarian cause so much confusion? Some people assume it means avoiding red meat but still eating chicken. And is there a term for a vegetarian who also eats fish and poultry? Plus, screwball comedies from the 1930s mix slapstick...