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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

bigger fish to fry en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

An augmentative of other fish to fry.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) A much more pressing issue to attend to.
    • Clyde’d been right about one thing—she had bigger fish to fry, and that included figuring out what Lucifer’s next move was. 2009, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 7, in Kiss & Hell, New York, N.Y.: Berkley Sensation, →ISBN, page 105:
    • Someone else needs to figure out the menu for the going-away party. I have bigger fish to fry.
    • Thanks for the vegan idioms, Peta, but there are bigger fish to fry [title] Trying to enforce non-meaty alternatives to phrases like ‘bring home the bacon’ will only harm the veganism cause[.] 2018 December 6, Jessica Brown, “Thanks for the vegan idioms, Peta, but there are bigger fish to fry”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
  2. (idiomatic) A higher-valued result or target to reach.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
bigger fish to fry Number=Plur lexicographic

Relateds

big picture · bigger fish in the sea · gestalt · gist · the forest for the trees · overview · grand scheme · bird's-eye view

Synonyms

other fish to fry