to fish for compliments
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To try to obtain praise usually by putting leading questions.
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 fish for compliments” mean?
To try to obtain praise usually by putting leading questions.
Is “to fish for compliments” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.