have other fish to fry


have other fish to fry

To have more important or more interesting things to do or attend to. I hope the boss keeps this meeting short—we all have other fish to fry.See also: fish, fry, have, other

have other fish to fry

or

have bigger fish to fry

If you have other fish to fry or have bigger fish to fry, you have something more important, interesting, or profitable to do. I didn't pursue it in detail because I'm afraid I had other fish to fry at the time. She tried to avoid wasting time on bureaucratic squabbling. She had bigger fish to fry. Note: This phrase is often varied. For example, if someone has their own fish to fry, they are not interested in doing something because they have business of their own to deal with. Tony comes and goes. He's got his own fish to fry, as they say.See also: fish, fry, have, other

have other (or bigger) fish to fry

have other or more important matters to attend to. 1985 Gregory Benford Artifact Kontos can throw a fit back there, chew the rug, anything—it won't matter. His government has bigger fish to fry. See also: fish, fry, have, other

have other/bigger fish to ˈfry

(informal) have more important, interesting or useful things to do: He’s not interested in reviewing small provincial exhibitions like this one; he’s got much bigger fish to fry. ♢ So you aren’t coming out with us tonight? I suppose you’ve got other fish to fry.See also: big, fish, fry, have, other

fish to fry, to have better/bigger/other

To have other, more important matters to attend to. Referring to fish cookery, this term dates from the seventeenth century. “I fear he has other fish to fry,” wrote John Evelyn in his Memoirs (1660). Actually, this term also appeared in an early translation of Rabelais’s Pantagruel (1552) by Motteux, but it did not seem to catch on until later.See also: better, big, fish, have, other