Idioms | South China Morning Post

Drink like a fish

You may think that fish, since they swim around with their mouths open, drink a lot of water. Actually, they don't. Anyway, idioms are not created by biologists. 'To drink like a fish' is to take alcohol regularly.

The phrase is usually used when being critical of someone behind their back: 'I wouldn't trust Tony to do it. He drinks like a fish.' This does not mean that the person is an alcoholic, which is a term used for someone who is addicted to drink.

Fish are common in our lives and there are plenty of idioms containing them. A big fish in a small pond is an important person in a small-scale organisation. Some people find this more comfortable than being a small fish in a big pond.

When someone is in the wrong setting (for example, a fashion-conscious Hong Kong woman on a pig farm), we talk of a fish out of water. You can see these fish in wet markets, flopping around unhappily.

To us warm-blooded mammals, fish seem cold and this gives rise to another idiom. Someone who seems to be unfriendly and without feeling is referred to as a cold fish. (I have never really liked Mr Lee. He seems such a cold fish. I have never seen him smile.)

Finally, the adjective fishy means suspicious. This arises from the smell of fish. That sounds fishy; in other words, it doesn't smell right.

Elvis has left the building

When we hear the name Elvis, we think of Elvis Presley, the king of rock 'n' roll. Elvis was a wonderful performer. He was also very handsome and teenage girls were crazy about him.

Elvis made his name on a radio programme called Hayride. In 1956, he performed at a big concert for his fans before quitting the show. Everyone went wild during his performance, and after he had left the stage, the organisers could not get the audience to settle down again.

So the producer, Horace Lee Logan, went on stage and said Elvis has left the building. He meant it was time to sit down again and let the show continue, but people liked the phrase and it was used after a lot of performances by the singer.

Hence it came to mean the fun is over, and it's time to go home. It could be used by a teacher to calm his students down after they had got excited about something and jumped out of their seats.

Or it could be a hint at the end of a class party for everyone to go home. As you may know, Elvis died prematurely but his music lives on.

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