fish for

Idioms  

1. Try to obtain something through artifice or indirectly. For example, He was always fishing for compliments , or, as William Makepeace Thackeray put it in Vanity Fair (1848): “The first woman who fishes for him, hooks him.” [Mid-1500s]

2. Search for something, as in I've fished for it in all the drawers . [First half of 1700s]

---

Example Sentences

Parents may now be forced to choose between prison time and helping Hong Kong authorities fish for evidence to bring national-security charges against their children.

From The Wall Street Journal

After tracking each fish for its entire life, the team grouped them by lifespan and then looked back to identify when behavioral differences first appeared.

From Science Daily

Once he came back with a fishing rod, and after that we quite often had grilled fish for our breakfast.

From Literature

It contained fish for the dogs, sandwiches for me, and a scribbled note that said, "Help is on the way and will reach you this afternoon. Be of good cheer."

From Literature

A bit of boiled fish for sores.

From Literature