Fish to Fry, To Have Better/Bigger/Other 🐠🔥
To have “better/bigger/other fish to fry” means to have more important matters to attend to. Interestingly, this idiom is like telling someone, “Sorry, I need to get back to choosing my life’s seasonsings!” It’s been making waves since the seventeenth century. John Evelyn wrote, “I fear he has other fish to fry,” in his Memoirs (1660). Oldie but goodie? Absolutely! This term even found its way into an early translation of Rabelais’s Pantagruel (1552) by Peter Anthony Motteux, testifying it has aged like fine wine.
Splash-Worthy Synonyms 🌊
- More pressing matters
- Higher priorities
- More urgent business
Antonyms in the Fish Tank 💧
- No skin off my back
- Small potatoes
- Not a big deal
Fin-tastic Humorous Quotes 🎭
“Sorry, I can’t help you with your underwater basket weaving class; I have bigger fish to fry!”
Fishy Proverbs 🐠
“Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll probably tell you he has bigger fish to fry!”
Hook, Line, and Literature Recommendations 📚
- Books:
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (because once you understand meaning, choosing which fish to fry becomes clear!)
- Songs:
- “Life’s What You Make It” by Talk Talk (perfect anthem for deciding priority fish!)
- Movies:
- Groundhog Day (demonstrates understanding priorities and seeing potential big fish!)
Quizzes 🦈
May your life’s priorities always be as clear as the waters under which you fish and the journeys you embark on be filled with purpose and a good sense of humor. 🎣 - W.T. Wittywords, Inspiring wordsmith since 2023
