~ 1
■ noun ( plural same or ~es )
1》 a limbless cold-blooded vertebrate animal with gills and fins, living wholly in water.
↘the flesh of ~ as food.
2》 used in names of invertebrate animals living wholly in water, e.g. shell~ , jelly~ .
3》 informal a person who is strange in a specified way: he's a cold ~.
■ verb
1》 catch ~ with a net or hook and line.
↘~ in (a body of water).
2》 ( ~ something out ) pull or take something out of water or a receptacle.
3》 grope or feel for something concealed.
4》 try subtly to obtain a response or information: I was not ~ing for compliments.
Phrases
big ~ an important person.
a big ~ in a small pond a person who is important only within a limited sphere.
a ~ out of water a person who feels out of place in their surroundings.
have other (or bigger ) ~ to fry have more important matters to attend to.
Derivatives
~able adjective
~ing noun
Origin
OE fisc (as a noun denoting any animal living exclusively in water), fiscian (v.), of Gmc origin.
Usage
The normal plural of ~ is ~ ( a shoal of ~ ; he caught two huge ~ ). The older form ~es is still used when referring to different kinds of ~ ( freshwater ~es of the British Isles ).
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~ 2
■ noun
1》 a flat plate fixed on a beam or across a joint to give additional strength.
2》 a long curved piece of wood lashed to a ship's damaged mast or spar as a temporary repair.
■ verb
1》 strengthen or mend with a ~.
2》 join (rails) with a ~plate.
Origin
C16: prob. from Fr. fiche , from ficher 'to fix', based on L. figere .