cold fish en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Coined by William Shakespeare in 1611, see quotations.
Meanings
-
(idiomatic, qualifier:potentially endearing) A heartless individual; a person lacking empathy and emotion.
[…]it was thought ſhe was a Woman, and was turn'd into a cold fiſh, for ſhe wold not exchange fleſh with one that lou'd her: […]
c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], page 293, column 2:He wouldn't have thought her such a cold fish. Pity. Still, there was plenty of time. Perhaps when she got used to his company she would thaw a little.
1993, Lisanne Norman, Turning Point:You're a cold fish. You have no heart.
2003, Robert Wilson, The Blind Man of Seville, →ISBN, page 13:
- (slang) A sexual partner who, during sex, lacks vigor or emotional reciprocity.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cold fishes | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| cold fish | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
dead fish · grinch · sourpuss · cold fish · party-pooper · dampener · wet blanket · spoilsport · downer · miserabilist · stick in the mud · grouch · curmudgeon · fun sponge · starfish · addle-plot · killjoy · joy killer · wet rag · wet blanket · marplot · buzzkill
Translations (7)
nl koude kikker (heartless individual) · fr pissefroid (heartless individual) · de Griesgram (heartless individual) · cs suchar (heartless individual) · ja 朴念仁 (heartless individual) · pl zimna ryba (heartless individual) · ru суха́рь (heartless individual)