to drink like a fish
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To drink abundantly or excessively. Many fish swim with their mouths open, thus appearing to be continually drink- ing. The expression is found in Beaumont and Fletcher.
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 “to drink like a fish” mean?
To drink abundantly or excessively. Many fish swim with their mouths open, thus appearing to be continually drink- ing. The expression is found in Beaumont and Fletcher.
Is “to drink like a fish” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.