a wide-ranging, often unwarranted investigation, interrogation, etc. carried out in the hope of uncovering any unspecified incriminating or compromising information
fishing expedition
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"fishing expedition." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition>.
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fishing expedition. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition
fishing expedition
noun
An open-ended inquiry or investigation, often undertaken on the pretext of a minor or unrelated matter, whose real purpose is to uncover embarrassing or damaging information, as about a political opponent.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"fishing expedition." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition>.
APA Style
fishing expedition. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition
Noun
(plural fishing expeditions)
- (idiomatic, law, US, informal, pejorative) A non-specific search for information, especially incriminating information.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"fishing expedition." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition>.
APA Style
fishing expedition. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/fishing-expedition
