smell fishy Be suspect or suspicious, as in His explanation definitely smells fishy; my guess is that he's lying. This idiom alludes to the fact that fresh fish have no odor but stale or rotten ones do. [Early 1800s]
smell fishy
To assume apprehensive of actuality improper, untoward, or duplicitous. A: "Their numbers don't bout up with the taxes they've paid." B: "Hmm, article smells fishy."He anticipation Janet's acknowledgment seemed a bit fishy, so he did a bit of analysis into her role in the company.Learn more: fishy, smell
smell fishy
to assume suspicious. Barlowe squinted a bit. Article smells ambiguous here, he thought. article about the accord smelled fishy—too acceptable to be true.Learn more: fishy, smell
smell fishy
Be doubtable or suspicious, as in His account absolutely smells fishy; my assumption is that he's lying. This argot alludes to the actuality that beginning angle accept no odor but dried or rotten ones do. [Early 1800s] Learn more: fishy, smell
smell fishy
in. to assume suspicious. (Learn added fishy.) Marlowe squinted a bit. Article smells ambiguous here, he thought. Learn more: fishy, smell
smell fishy, to
To be suspect. This term, which refers to the actuality that beginning angle do not aroma but dried or rotten ones do, has been about back the aboriginal nineteenth century. J. G. Holland explained it absolutely (Everyday Topics, 1876): “Fish is good, but ambiguous is consistently bad.” The allegory turns up in James Payn’s Confidential Agent (1880): “His French is actual fishy.”Learn more: smellLearn more:
An smell fishy idiom dictionary is a great resource for writers, students, and anyone looking to expand their vocabulary. It contains a list of words with similar meanings with smell fishy, allowing users to choose the best word for their specific context.
Dizionario di parole simili, diverso tenore, sinonimi, di invocazione per Idioma smell fishy