angle with a silver hook
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To buy fish at market; said of an angler who, having been unsuccessful, purchases fish that will enable him to conceal his failure.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “angle with a silver hook” mean?
To buy fish at market; said of an angler who, having been unsuccessful, purchases fish that will enable him to conceal his failure.
Is “angle with a silver hook” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.