Phrase guide

have other fish to fry

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To have more important things to do.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: tenir altres coses a fer — to have more important things to do
  • Dutch: andere katten te geselen hebben — to have more important things to do
  • French: avoir d'autres chats à fouetter — to have more important things to do
  • German: andere Igel zu kämmen haben — to have more important things to do
  • Italian: avere altre gatte da pelare — to have more important things to do
  • Polish: mieć inne sprawy do załatwienia — to have more important things to do
  • Scottish Gaelic: eadar e fhèin — to have more important things to do
  • Spanish: tener otras cosas que hacer — to have more important things to do