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Drink like a fish

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To consume alcohol excessively, referencing fish constantly “drinking” water (though biologically inaccurate).

Detailed Definition
Despite its zoological flaw, this idiom vividly conveys compulsive drinking. In poetry, it ranges from comic tavern scenes (Chaucer) to tragic depictions of addiction (Berryman’s Dream Songs). Often used ironically or self-deprecatingly, it links bodily excess to emotional void. The aquatic metaphor allows fluid imagery—drowning, tides, submersion—to parallel intoxication’s escapism. Modern poets may subvert it to explore recovery or societal judgment. Its colloquial vigor suits confessional or narrative modes where vice and vulnerability intertwine.
Example
Example in poetry:
Berryman’s “Dream Songs” depict drinking like a fish to drown inner chaos; A tavern poem: “He drinks like a fish, but the ocean inside him never quenches”; In recovery verse: “Used to drink like a fish—now I sip water and name my demons”; Satire: “At the gala, they drink like fish while the planet burns—champagne bubbles blind”.
Additional Notes
Despite its zoological inaccuracy (fish don’t “drink” water), this idiom vividly conveys compulsive drinking. In poetry, it ranges from Chaucer’s comic tavern scenes to Berryman’s tragic addiction narratives. The aquatic metaphor allows fluid imagery—drowning, tides—to parallel intoxication’s escapism. Modern poets may subvert it to explore recovery. Students should note its colloquial vigor in confessional or narrative modes, where vice and vulnerability intertwine, and how biological error doesn’t diminish poetic utility when imagery resonates emotionally.
Also Known As
Guzzle
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